Georgia has landed the first Korean suppler to the electric vehicle battery plant that will serve as the single largest foreign investment in the state’s history.
EnChem, which makes electrolytes that go into rechargeable lithium batteries and other energy storage devices, will put two separate facilities next to the nearly $1.7 billion SK Innovation plant in Jackson County.
Combined, they will create 300 jobs on an investment of $61.35 million. That’s on top of the some 2,000 jobs the SK plant is expected to create over the coming years.
“This is exactly the type of quality project that we hoped to attract when visiting Korea on our first international trip last June,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a news release announcing the project. “As the market for electric vehicles and batteries continues its rapid growth, it’s great to see the industry building a hub here in Georgia.”
Thanks to SK Innovation, Korea was the top investing country in the state in fiscal year 2019 as measured by both jobs (2,507) and capital ($1.87 billion), according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Commissioner Pat Wilson attributed the success partly to the state’s consistent presence in the country since 1985.
On its own, the SK deal is even larger than the $1.2 billion Kia Motors plant in West Point, though it remains to be seen if it will have the same long-term job-creation effect from a parade of coming suppliers.
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