By Aaliyah Koelzer and Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Preliminary construction is under way at Queen Creek’s massive LG Energy Solution Battery Plant, with an at-risk grading permit having been issued in late September.
Normally, a preliminary construction start would be relegated to our Arizona Projects section. Given the size and impact of LGES on Queen Creek and the overall region—and the fact that AZBEX has been first to report on most of the happenings related to the project (including its existence, its temporary shift to on-hold status and the revised development agreement after LGES expanded its commitment), we felt the discovery warranted a brief article.
In March 2023, LG Energy made a statement that it had quadrupled its investment to $5.5B to support the production of electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems. The increased investment reflects a considerable increase in the size of the development. Recently revised project submittals to the Town indicate a 1.9MSF total, nearly 500KSF more than the initial scope announced in 2022.
In early September 2023, the Town Council decided which potential funding options were to be used to meet its obligation to pay for road expansion and water infrastructure as promised by agreements with the battery manufacturer.
Rummel Construction is to perform the preliminary at-risk work for Town improvements, with Blount Contracting planned to perform the mass grading for the site and Yates Construction was selected as the general contractor.
Town-funded preliminary work is expected to take three-to-six months to complete and will lead directly into Phase I of the battery plant. The agreement between the Town and LG Energy also states that construction is required to be completed within 90 months of formal groundbreaking.
Media representatives for both the Town and LGES have confirmed vertical construction is expected to begin early next year. LGES offered the caveat that timelines could shift depending on conditions.
The project is still waiting for most of its permits, including a second-round site plan review filed after Town Council made its funding decision.
