Ga. governor addresses setback to $5 billion Rivian plant
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Gov. Brian Kemp addressed the fallout after EV manufacturer Rivian announced it was pausing construction of a $5 billion factory east of Atlanta.
“It was disappointing, but I understand the business case that they made by doing what they’re doing. I don’t necessarily like that, but I understand it,” Kemp said Tuesday at the state Capitol.
On Thursday, the EV manufacturer announced it was pausing the building of a mega-factory along roughly 2,000 acres of land in Morgan and Walton counties.
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On Monday, state officials questioned Rivian’s commitment in a specially-called Senate committee meeting.
Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson said the state was informed of Rivian’s decision last Tuesday, two days prior to the announcement by the EV manufacturer.
Kemp also said he was informed of Rivian’s decision last Tuesday.
Among the top questions from lawmakers of Wilson was how much the state has already invested in the project.
Wilson said the state has invested $141 million into the project site, with $68 million in land acquisition, $55 million for grading and preparing roughly 577 acres of the plot, and $15 million for wetland mitigation.
Wilson stressed that Georgia remains committed because Rivian and the state government remain under contract.
“I understand they’re frustrated, but also, we don’t want to send any signals either that Georgia is going to renege on its commitments, whether it’s to Rivian or any other companies we’re working with now coming to our state,” Gov. Kemp said on Tuesday, when asked about the concerns of lawmakers.
“I think that would be bad for our business environment. And I think when cooler heads prevail, they’ll understand that too, even though this stings a bit,” Kemp added.
Wilson said the state and Rivian remain in good communication and he’s hopeful Rivian will soon ramp up production similar to other car manufacturers in the state.
“There are guardrails put in place for the taxpayer dollar. For a company to realize the benefit, they have to do something. They have to hire, they have to build,” Wilson said on Monday.
The economic development agreement with Rivian requires that it meets 80% of its $5 billion investment commitment and 7,500 job commitment, and maintain those commitments by Dec. 31, 2030, through 2049.
A spokesperson for the Department of Economic Development said Rivian has committed to maintaining those timelines.
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