COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced Wednesday it will provide nearly $1.3 million for an electric vehicle worker recruitment center in Fayette County.
The center will help Honda and LG Energy Solution hire 2,200 employees for the new lithium-ion battery plant under construction in Jeffersonville, according to ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder. The new recruitment and training center will be located at the Destination Outlets shopping mall in Jeffersonville.
The $1.3 million is part of a $2 million investment in workforce development grants for a variety of special projects throughout the state.
“As more businesses continue to expand in Ohio, investing in our workforce becomes even more important,” Damschroder said. “This funding will help employers build highly skilled workforces, and it will help Ohioans pursue rewarding careers in new and growing industries.”
Honda and LGES have committed to invest $3.5 billion in the new joint venture (JV) facility, with their overall investment projected to reach $4.4 billion. The plant — which is being constructed just west of Ohio 729 and south of I-71 in Jefferson Township — is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, with plans to create 2,200 jobs. The plant aims for approximately 40 giggawat-hours, or “GWh” of annual production capacity.
The location of the joint venture between Honda and LGES was announced Oct. 11 and was formally established on Jan. 12. The plant aims to start mass production of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2025, to be provided exclusively to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America.
In order to accommodate the Honda plant, Fayette County and its partners have about $130 million of worth of infrastructure work going on right now.
This includes a $60 million water treatment plant project, $25 million in wastewater improvements, the $30 million project for a water line up I-71, a $6 million elevated storage tank project, and $8 million for a pump station and tanks on I-71 at exit 45.
