MORGAN COUNTY, Ga. — The stalled Rivian manufacturing plant mega-project in Georgia is getting a huge revival boost from the federal government, Sen. Jon Ossoff's office announced Tuesday.
Sen. Ossoff announced that Rivian will receive a federal loan through the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office of up to $6 billion to restart construction on the plant in Morgan County.
“Our Federal manufacturing incentives are driving economic development across the State of Georgia. I join all Federal, State, and local leaders in congratulating Rivian on this conditional Federal loan agreement and in celebrating yet another historic Federal investment in Georgia electric vehicle manufacturing,” Sen. Ossoff said in a statement. “I thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Granholm, and Loan Programs Office Director Shah for their continued collaboration as we lead Georgia forward.”
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A release described the loan as conditional and that Rivian and the Loan Programs Office would work to finalize an agreement. Tony Sanger, Rivian's vice president of facilities, would not go into detail about the terms of the loan. However, he anticipated manufacturing to begin soon. Sanger said while facility construction was put on hold, workers focused on grading and design work around the site.
“We’ve been working to get the site ready so that when we were able to come back to Georgia we were able to do so pretty rapidly," Sanger said. "In 2028, we would be producing vehicles in Georgia. Before that, I still have to build the facility, we still have to train employees.”
The funding comes through the Inflation Reduction Act, Ossoff's office said.
Rivian CEO and founder RJ Scaringe said during a company presentation in March that the project was on hold while Rivian would focus on launching its R2 model at its existing plant in Illinois.
Gov. Brian Kemp, who billed the project at the time of its announcement as a signature economic development achievement and the largest in state history (Ossoff's release Tuesday referenced it as the second-largest), said in March the delay was "disappointing."
"It's 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.
Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for Gov. Kemp, sent 11Alive the following statement:
Nearly three years ago, as a result of the relationships we cultivated with this job creator and our nationally acclaimed business environment, we announced the largest economic development project in our state’s history at that time and welcomed Rivian to Georgia. In the years since, we have and will continue to work with this new company in helping them achieve their goals and fulfilling their commitment of creating good-paying jobs for hardworking Georgians. Our conversations to bring their operations to the No. 1 state for business predates the current administration in Washington, and our shared vision to bring opportunity to Georgia will remain no matter who resides in the White House or what party controls Congress.
Scaringe, the Rivian CEO, said back in March the Georgia site "remains really important to us." A groundbreaking had been originally expected early this year.
The company has said the $5 billion facility planned for east of Atlanta in Morgan County would involve 7,500 jobs on site and produce 400,000 vehicles a year. Site work began back in 2022.
The development deal faced some scrutiny for a $1.5 billion tax incentive package used to lure Rivian to Georgia, and some locals in Morgan County opposed it over community congestion concerns.
“This Rivian plant is an important part, a crucial part of Georgia’s economic future and that there was a real risk that the billions of dollars in state funds that had been committed and the hundreds of millions already spent might have been wasted or lost had construction not restarted on the facility," Ossoff said. "There is no question that this is a major step forward for this key economic development initiative in the state of Georgia.”
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