Ultium Cells factory powers up for future
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Construction on the second of a two-phase, more than $32 million investment to support the demand for power in the electric-vehicle industry in Lordstown has begun with a targeted finish date in the second quarter of 2022.
Now, workers are building a new, high-voltage power line to meet the future needs of Ultium Cells, the $2.3 billion next-gen battery-cell factory jointly backed by General Motors and South Korea's LG Energy Solution.
"This new line construction that we are building; it's this new 3 1/2-mile line that we were able to build on existing structures for about 2 miles, so that's very minimal environmental impact and impact to the community," said Lauren Siburkis, spokeswoman for the Akron-based electric company.
About 1 1/2 miles will be placed on new steel and wood structures. The full length connects a substation on Highland Avenue to a new substation, called Magellan, immediately behind the factory.
The cost is about $12 million.
The $20 million first phase was construction of a new more than 100,000-square-foot substation behind the Tod Avenue plant and a half-mile, high-voltage transmission line that connects to an existing high-voltage line nearby.
Phase one was completed in the spring, Siburkis said.
"The idea was to provide an extra source of power to meet the high-energy demands of the Ultium Cells facility," she said. The substation on Highland would have met the plant's needs, "but as production ramps up and they need more energy in the years to come, this was a way for them to not only have backup power sources, but meet their energy demands for the entire future here in Lordstown."
When complete, the new line also will bolster the regional transmission system to benefit thousands of residents and businesses in Lordstown.
"While the intention for this project is to support Ultium Cells, it has benefits for about 15,000 residents and businesses in the Lordstown area because what this will do, it will provide a backup power feed for all of the customers in the area in the event their primary line is taken out of service," Siburkis said.
Earlier this year, FirstEnergy was named among the top utilities in the U.S. for promoting economic development by Site Selection, a planning and development magazine. One of the bigger projects the utility is supporting is Ultium Cells.
"FirstEnergy and Ohio Edison continue to play a key role in the region's development by working to ensure the local power grid is ready to support the demands of Ultium Cells LLC and other energy-intensive customers in the region," Ed Shuttleworth, president of FirstEnergy's Ohio operations, said. "We're proud to support work to help advance business development in the region while strengthening our system to meet the growing demand for safe and reliable power for many years to come."
Ultium Cells will mass produce battery cells that will power several of GM's electric vehicles. The plant, about 3.1 million square feet on 158 acres, will employ upward of 1,000 workers at full production. Production is expected to launch sometime in early 2022.
rselak@tribtoday.com