Governor Andy Beshear turned to social media on Friday morning to stress that the Ford electric battery project is still happening.
“Folks, it is happening,” Beshear said. “Ford is fully committed to it. And with the project, that plant, not opening until 2026, I am very confident that we will move forward. So, don’t let the politics cloud the facts.”
News broke on Thursday that the start of operations for the second battery plant in Hardin County is postponed.
"Demand for electric vehicles continues to increase in the U.S. but not at levels anticipated. To meet demand and ensure our success, BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky will postpone production at its second plant, known as Kentucky 2," explained BlueOval SK External Affairs Director Ursula Madden. "We’ll continue building Kentucky 2 to ensure the construction site is safe. Our ultimate goals have not changed, but the time to reach those goals has been revised. This change will not impact our Kentucky 1 plant or the BlueOval SK plant at BlueOval City in Tennessee which remain on schedule with production beginning in 2025."
These battery plants are part of a nearly $6 billion dollar investment by Ford and its partners. The investment is the largest in state history.
At a stop in Western Kentucky on Friday, Beshear reiterated that the project is "still moving forward."
"The Ford investment, the largest in our history - $5.8 billion, 5,000 new jobs - is still on and is still moving forward. The construction of both plants is still on and moving forward. The first plant that will open in 2025 is set to operate on that schedule. The only thing Ford has said is the second plant - they may move that initial operations date. It is going to happen," said Beshear. "Ford's basically asking for a little flexibility with the market. But the project is fully on."
Several Kentucky Republicans argued that the delay undercuts the economic development claims the governor makes on the campaign trail.
Daniel Cameron, the Republican candidate for governor, called the situation a "failed promise."
"Another Andy Beshear promise is unraveling before our eyes,” Daniel Cameron said. “We aren’t becoming the battery capital of the world. We are becoming the failed promises capital of the world. Andy can’t deliver the jobs he’s promised. The economy is in shambles."
