Michigan now hosts an operating LG Energy Solution battery plant backed by more than $2 billion in investment. Production began at the 226-acre Lansing facility on Aug.
18, 2026, according to LG Energy Solution's announcement. The factory makes large-format battery cells for electric vehicles and grid energy storage. It opened with about 900 employees and is expected to employ 1,700 people when it reaches full capacity.
Table of Contents
- How the Lansing project changed
- What the plant manufactures
- How large is its production capacity?
- What Michigan gains
- What the investment figure does—and does not—mean
How the Lansing project changed
The factory began as Ultium Cells Plant 3, a joint venture between general Motors and LG Energy Solution. When the companies announced the project in 2022, they planned to invest $2.6 billion and create 1,700 jobs. LG Energy Solution later acquired the plant's assets from the joint venture.
The company completed that transaction in 2025, making Lansing its third wholly owned manufacturing plant in North America. LG says it has invested more than $2 billion in the facility since 2022. A June 2025 Korea Exchange filing valued the acquired Plant 3 assets at about $2.138 billion.
What the plant manufactures
Lansing produces two types of large-format battery cells: Lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry is used for the plant's stationary storage products. These batteries can hold electricity until a utility or commercial operator needs to dispatch it.
The nickel-manganese-cobalt cells are intended for Toyota vehicles. LG identifies the 2027 Highlander EV, assembled in Kentucky, as one planned application.
- Lithium-iron-phosphate cells for utility and commercial energy-storage systems
- Nickel-manganese-cobalt cells for electric vehicles
How large is its production capacity?
LG states that the plant's annual capacity will exceed 35 gigawatt-hours at full scale. A gigawatt-hour measures energy capacity; the figure describes the combined amount of battery-cell production planned over a year. That number is a full-scale target, not proof that the plant produced 35 GWh when it opened.
📨 Get Free News Stories Alerts
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
The confirmed milestone is that manufacturing began in August 2026. The plant can serve both vehicle and stationary-storage customers. That gives LG flexibility to supply two battery markets from one site, though the available evidence does not divide the 35 GWh target between them.
What Michigan gains
The immediate benefits are an operating manufacturing site, about 900 jobs at launch and more domestic battery supply. Employment could reach 1,700 at full capacity, but readers should treat that number as a projection rather than the current workforce. The energy-storage output also has a direct Michigan connection.
LG says utilities including DTE Energy will use Lansing-made cells to store electricity and dispatch it when needed. That storage can support more reliable electricity delivery by shifting power across time. The supplied evidence does not specify when DTE will deploy the cells, how much capacity it will purchase or what customers will pay.
What the investment figure does—and does not—mean
Calling the project a "$2 billion plant" reasonably describes LG's reported investment, but it does not mean the facility was newly proposed in 2026. The site evolved from a 2022 joint venture, changed ownership in 2025 and entered production in 2026.
The investment total also should not be confused with yearly production, public funding or payroll. It describes LG's spending on the Lansing facility, while the regulatory filing separately gives an approximately $2.138 billion value for the assets acquired in 2025.
You Might Also Like
- $3.7 billion ammonia plant in Louisiana breaks ground
- Elanco Expands Biologics Manufacturing Capacity at Kansas Facility
- What the Monthly Jobs Report Actually Measures