Site plan for Ford plant gets green light from Megasite Authority
The Megasite Authority of West Tennessee has approved the site plan for Ford Motor Co.’s $5.6 billion electric pickup truck and battery plant in Haywood County.
The Daily Memphian reports the company only needs to secure an environmental permit before it can begin preparing the Blue Oval City project for construction. Ford has chosen Detroit-based Walbridge as its general contractor.
The Megasite Authority previously approved a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement by which the company will remit $8 million by 2030 and $11.5 million by 2051.
The 3,600-acre parcel of land is being leased to Ford and SK Innovation for $1. Under a clawback provision, 90% of the committed 5,760 jobs must be filled within a decade. Otherwise the companies would have to pay back a portion of a $500 million grant from the state, plus the $175 million value of the land, the Associated Press reported last month.
Check out plans for the massive new Ford plant in West Tennessee
Ford’s new Blue Oval City in West Tennessee is coming into focus. The Tennessee Journal has come across a schematic for the 3,600-acre, $5.6 billion plant located about 40 miles from downtown Memphis.
The buildings in red are 100% owned by Ford, while the purple ones represent the joint venture with battery maker SK Innovation of South Korea (right-click on the image to open a larger version in another tab).
Lawmakers in October approved an inventive package totaling $884 million to secure Ford investment. The deal included $500 million in grants for the automaker and its partners, $200 million for road work, $138 million for site prep and a wastewater pipeline, $40 million for a new College of Applied Technology, $5 million for consulting and legal services, and $728,000 to pay for the first year of the new Megasite Authority’s operations and salaries.
About 5,800 people are expected to work at Blue Oval City once it is up and running.
Here’s what the site looked like before the state got Ford to agree to start building there.
UPDATE: Ford incentive deal, megasite panel approved by General Assembly
The nearly $900 million incentive package for Ford to build Blue Oval City on the Memphis Regional Megasite has passed both chambers of the General Assembly.
The Senate voted 27-3 on both the funding measure and a bill creating a new megasite authority. The opponents were Sens. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), and Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield).
The House later voted 90-3 to approve the bill fudning the megasite. Opponents were Reps. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka), Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster), and Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro).
The bills are expected to be signed into law quickly by Gov. Bill Lee so work on the megasite can get underway.
