New Lansing electric battery plant back on track
A new Ultium Cells battery plant near Lansing will be moving forward after receiving approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Announced in January, the $2.6 billion plant in Delta Township is a joint venture between the General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc. The factory will produce battery cells for GM electric vehicles. It is expected to create more than 1,700 jobs when it becomes operational in late 2024.
The EPA approval will allow the factory to produce carbon nanotubes as part of its operations in building the batteries. Without the approval, the launch of the project could have been delayed.
A bipartisan group of Michigan legislators sent a letter to the EPA in April urging officials to cut through government red tape and quickly OK the applications. The legislative group included U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing; U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton; Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan; and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan.
“The Ultium Cells facility is going to be an enormous boost to Lansing’s economy, and it will support GM’s manufacturing at other plants throughout Michigan,” Slotkin said. “That means the battery cells built here in Lansing will support the electric vehicles being built by Michigan auto workers all across the state.”
Ultium Cells, which operates a battery factory in Warren, Ohio, is also building another in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and is considering a fourth plant in New Carlisle, Indiana. Last fall, GM announced it will invest $7 billion in electric vehicles and battery production in Michigan. GM is phasing out petroleum-powered cars and trucks by 2035 and plans to spend $27 billion in reaching that goal.
The new Ultium Cells battery plant will be 2.8 million square feet and is located adjacent to the GM Lansing Delta Township plant off Davis Highway.
