$1.9B electric vehicle battery plant planned in Marshall County, Mississippi

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A $1.9 billion electric vehicle battery plant could bring thousands of jobs to Marshall County in north Mississippi, state officials said Tuesday.

Gov. Tate Reeves said he is calling a special legislative session to finalize the deal, the second-largest capital investment in state history. That session is scheduled for Thursday.

If approved, Reeves says the project would create 2,000 jobs with an average annual salary of about $66,000 — the largest annual payroll commitment of any major project in Mississippi history.

“This is a massive win for the state of Mississippi,” Reeves said. “It will further enshrine Mississippi as a national leader in the automotive industry.”

The development would be located on 500 acres in the Chickasaw Industrial Park at U.S. Highway 72 and Cayce Road in Byhalia, Reeves said.

Mississippi officials did not disclose the name of the company planning the facility Tuesday. The company name would be revealed after the deal is finalized Thursday, Reeves said.

In September, a partnership between Cummins’ EV division, Daimler Trucks & Buses, and PACCAR announced a multi-billion dollar joint venture to manufacture lithium-iron-phosphate batteries for commercial electric trucks.

Officials did not confirm whether that partnership is the one planned in Marshall County.

Whatever the company, Rep. John Faulker of Holly Springs said the deal could have a major impact on Marshall County.

“Whenever you can have an economic project that could employ north of 2,000 people, paying over $60,000 on an annual salary, it’s a major gamechanger for the whole area,” he said.

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Faulkner said he expects the deal to pass the legislature quickly.

“Based on what I’ve heard, of course with the governor’s announcment, I think everyone involved is 100 percent on board, so it should be a smooth session within the session and we could get this done possibly in one day,” he said.

Charles Terry with the Marshall County Board of Supervisors, reached by phone shortly after the governor’s announcement, said the board did not want to comment on the project Tuesday.

If the project moves forward, the Byhalia facility would be the second EV manufacturer to be located in the Memphis metro area.

Blue Oval City, a joint venture between Ford and SK On to manufacture electric Ford trucks and the batteries to power them, is under construction and set to open in Haywood County, Tennessee in 2025.

Byhalia is located a few miles southeast of Memphis.

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Toyota and Nissan already have manufacturing facilities in Mississippi.

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