U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visits the construction site of BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky on March 3, 2023, in this photo released by SK On Co.
SEOUL, March 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean battery producer SK On Co. said Sunday U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the construction site of its new production line in Kentucky earlier this week.
Buttigieg visited the 6.28 million-square-meter site of the manufacturing campus, named BlueOval SK Battery Park, on Friday, and met officials to discuss the progress of the project that will create 5,000 new jobs, according to SK On.
“When it opens, this will be one of the largest EV battery manufacturing facilities in the world. Workers here aren’t just building a factory, they’re building livelihoods, and they’re building the future,” Buttigieg was quoted as saying by SK On.
The production is expected to begin in 2025, the company said.
The project is part of the joint US$11.4 billion investment by SK On and Ford Co. to build twin EV battery plants in Kentucky and another in Tennessee.
The batteries to be produced at the plants will power Ford and Lincoln EVs.
(Yonhap)
