WARREN — General Motors and South Korea-based LG Chem will invest $2.3 billion in the Lordstown area to mass produce battery cells for electric vehicles, GM’s CEO Mary Barra just announced.

The agreement is an equally owned joint venture between the two companies that will create up to 1,100 new jobs. Ground will be broken in mid-2020. The assembly plant will be on a greenfield, according to GM.

The collaboration also includes a joint development agreement that brings together two leaders in battery science to develop and produce advanced battery technologies, with the goal of reducing battery costs to industry-leading levels.

The announcement comes on the heels of GM’s 2019 United Auto Workers contract ratification that finalized the closure of GM’s Lordstown auto plant. The facility was sold last month to Lordstown Motors Corp., which plans to use the facility to build electric pickup trucks.

During those labor contract talks, GM had said it would bring battery cell production to Mahoning Valley, creating 1,000 jobs.

The Tribune Chronicle previously reported that GM is in talks with electric battery pack and cell maker LG Chem to locate a battery-cell production facility in the Mahoning Valley. LG already has a plant in Holland, Mich., where it makes battery cells and packs for GM.