BMW had a big hurdle in the way of its planned SC EV battery plant last year. Here’s what happened

BMW’s $700 billion plant to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles cleared environmental concerns and is under construction at a 315-acre tract in Woodruff.

The 1 million-square-foot facility will be completed in 2026 and will employ 300 people.

BMW is also investing $1 billion to prepare its Spartanburg plant to manufacture fully electric vehicles. The company says by 2030, at least six fully electric models will be built in the U.S.

BMW sought approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill in part of Lick Creek, which flows to the Enoree River, to accommodate the battery plant.

BMW looked at 13 sites for the battery plant, whittled it down to five before choosing the 314-acre site along U.S. 101 in Woodruff, south of the main facility, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Two ponds and creek frontage could not be avoided. BMW proposed improving a 240-acre piece of property in exchange for being allowed to make changes on their property.

Construction of the battery plant began in October.

“Today, we literally begin to build our legacy as we start the construction of Plant Woodruff,” Dr. Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, said at the groundbreaking.

Also at the site will be a technology building and support buildings such as a cafeteria, fire department, and energy center.

BMW Group will buy battery cells from AESC, which is building a new 30 GWh battery cell factory in Florence. AESC will produce newly developed round lithium-ion battery cells, specifically designed for the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology.

The cells will be shipped to Plant Woodruff to make batteries for fully electric BMW X models at Plant Spartanburg.

Since building its first U.S. plant in Spartanburg in 1992, the BMW Group has invested nearly $12.4 billion in South Carolina.

BMW makes more than 1,500 vehicles a day in Spartanburg, where it employs more than 11,000 people.