Gov. Beshear: Ford Motor Company, SK Innovation and Kentucky Leading the Automotive Industry of the Future
Kentucky sets out to build largest electric battery plants in the country
During my inaugural address, held on the Capitol steps in Frankfort less than two years ago, I said advanced manufacturing was an area where Kentucky was “poised to be a national leader – if we have the vision and the will to be bold.”
Because of that boldness, last week Ford’s Executive Chair Bill Ford, CEO Jim Farley, COO for North America Lisa Drake and Dong-Seob Jee, president of SK Innovation’s battery business, joined me on those same Capitol steps to announce we will build the largest electric battery plants in the country right off I-65 in Hardin County.
Together, with our partners’ courage, vision and support, we will lead the automotive industry of the future and become an undisputed national leader in advanced manufacturing.
This project not only sets the bar globally for battery production, it breaks nearly all of our previous economic development records.
This is the single largest capital investment ever made in the commonwealth, at nearly $6 billion.
It’s the largest single jobs announcement in Kentucky’s history, with an estimated 5,000 full-time jobs – and they are good-wage jobs. Even better: That number doesn’t include the many construction, supplier and dealership jobs we also expect this investment to generate.
These twin plants in Glendale combined will produce 86 gigawatt-hours per year, making them what I believe will be the largest battery plants in the country and a top producer of advanced batteries that will power the next generation of Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
These enormous plants will capture the attention of the entire world. Every nation will know exactly where Kentucky is and who we are – because in this state, we know horsepower, and it’s about to be generated in a whole new way.
Right now, there isn’t an electric vehicle battery supply chain in the United States – so we’re going to build it right here in the commonwealth. We’re already hearing from potential electric vehicle suppliers who are showing interest in coming to Kentucky, creating even more jobs throughout our booming Auto Alley.
There are so many to thank for their support and hard work, including the team at the Cabinet for Economic Development and everybody in Hardin County – the mayor, the county judge/executive, members of the Industrial Foundation and the local economic development team – thank you for your tremendous work.
I also appreciate members of the General Assembly, who passed supportive legislation immediately during the recent special session. This bipartisan effort showed our ability to get things done, and we proved that politics will never keep us from creating better jobs for our people.
What an extraordinary partnership and past we have had with the Ford Motor Company for more than a century, from building the Model T and military jeeps to assembling some of Ford’s current line of cars and trucks.
We are fortunate to have the Louisville Assembly Plant and the Kentucky Truck Plant in our commonwealth. Through direct employees, suppliers and dealers, Ford helps employ approximately 120,000 Kentuckians – and that doesn’t even include the 5,000 jobs announced last week. And a 2020 Economic Impact Report highlights Ford’s annual impact on our state of nearly $11.7 billion.
Ford also invests in our most important asset: our people. A year ago, when we were struggling, just like other states, to secure enough PPE, Ford donated masks to our state stockpile. To date, they have donated at least 3.5 million masks for our health care heroes and schoolchildren.
When I think about those children – our children – they are so much of why I wanted to be your Governor.
My family and I will live and work in this state for decades after I leave office. I want to do everything I can to make this a better commonwealth for every Kentuckian, with opportunities for all of our people.
With this announcement, we shatter every economic development record in the books for yearly investment totals. This year alone we have announced 11,700 private sector jobs and $8.7 billion in investments.
This is already our best year ever – and it’s only the beginning of October. Our economy is on fire – or maybe it’s electric. Never again will Kentucky be thought of as a “flyover state.”
With this opportunity, we are meeting our future. We are transforming our economy, and we are building that better Kentucky right now.
Our time is here. Our future is right now.
Good job Andy unlike the last Governor who promised a aluminum plant in Boyd County Bevins and the GOP in Frankfort gave them $15 million up front and no one knows where it’s at.
While LC sits stagnant.
Better build a place to dispose of all the batteries or the carcinogens they produce. I suggest Seattle, Minneapolis, Baltimore or St. Louis.
Well here stands Andy claiming credit for what the KY General Assembly did, in another state paid campaign add. Its a good thing and that is certain, I’m glad to see it happen, but Andy didn’t make it happen as he would like to imply.
Charley where’s the Plant that your so called Ky General Assembly promised after giving away $15 million up front
The price of electric vehicles and the batteries that power them are going to have to come down to more realistic price for blue collar and lower wage earners.
I predict in the near future that a lot of these electric cars will flood the market, and then when it comes time to replace the batteries, many people won’t be willing or can’t afford to spend up to 4-5 thousand dollars to replace them, and the end result will be a whole lot of used electric cars that can’t be sold and with many parked beside people’s houses overtaken by weeds not to mention the stagnation of battery production which will lead to layoffs….all because people can’t afford or simply do not want to spend thousands of dollars on batteries.
When you calculate vehicle cost and the cost of replacement batteries, you certainly aren’t saving any money compared to gas powered vehicles.
The only people that are going to be singing the praises of the electric car revolution are the environmental/climate crazies who have demonized Fossil fuels while working to destroy the industry the same way they destroyed the coal industry.