Expanding Battery Production in the U.S.

SK Battery America

Clayco led site mobilization and construction efforts for the new SK Innovation battery manufacturing plant in Commerce, Georgia. The project was located on 283 acres along I-85 about 65 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The 2.4-million-square-foot, $1.67 billion facility was SK Innovation’s first EV battery factory in the U.S. SK Innovation, which makes lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and fully-electric automobiles, builds batteries for multiple vehicle manufactures.

Phase I began in Spring 2019 and Phase II began in Fall 2020. One of the main challenges of the project was the close proximity of the Phase II jobsite to the active Phase I facility, plus an accelerated timeline for completion by the end of 2021.

The scope of both phases included sitework, concrete, steel, IMP and roofing for electrode, assembly, formation, module, finishes, MEP, clean/dry rooms, ancillary support structures, medium voltage banks and cross country piping tracks.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE

Clayco worked closely with Steel Service and LPR to plan out the steel erection to make sure milestones were achieved.

Came up with a plan to have as many cranes and crews as the space would allow.

Utilized support cranes for unloading and shake out so that large cranes could be 100% dedicated to setting steel and maximize our daily production.

Some of the project challenges included the close proximity of the jobsite to the active facility.

TIGHT SITE LOGISTICS BETWEEN PHASES I AND II

Used a dedicated access/haul road for construction.

Separation by temporary fencing and coordination with SK for any overlapping operations.

Activities were coordinated well in advance to minimize or elimination any operational impacts to SK.

PHASE II INFRASTRUCTURE

No as-builts were provided, so we utilized a vac-truck to identify potential issues.

Clayco coordinated design changes and prepared the area to safely drill and install foundations to keep as close to our original schedule as possible.

This plant represents one of the largest single investments in a job-creating initiative in Georgia’s history and the largest in more than a decade. By 2025, the site will employ nearly 3,000 with a production capacity reaching 9.8GWh by 2022. More than 300,000 new electric vehicles a year will be on American roads because of the work being done at the facility, and team members take great pride of the role they have in building a new chapter in automotive history.