Samsung SDI is in the process of selecting a location for its new lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing plant in the U.S. and according to the latest reports, Bloomington-Normal in Illinois is one of the three finalists.
One of the main factors when choosing a location is the proximity to customers. In the case of Normal, the Samsung SDI plant would be next door to Rivian's plant (acquired from Mitsubishi a few years ago).
Samsung SDI supplies 2170-type cylindrical cells for the Rivian R1T and Rivian R1S electric vehicles, so we guess that this is the battery form factor that will be produced at the site.
Nothing is yet decided, but WGLT reports that the Bloomington-Normal area has strong chances. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said:
“We’re competing for a major Samsung battery facility. The delegation came from (South) Korea this week. I spoke to them, and others did as well. This Samsung facility, we hope, would be located next door to Rivian. That decision has not been made. Having that battery facility will also create thousands of jobs.”
The investment scale would be a “billion-dollar deal” and it would create up to 3,200 new jobs. We guess that the plant will have a double-digit number of GWh of annual manufacturing capacity.
The South Korean manufacturer might count on various local incentives, including a property tax abatement, "roadwork on West College Avenue and utility work that would extend sewer toward Normal’s west edge."
We don't know the other finalists, however, we heard that Rivian is searching for a location for its second electric vehicle plant in the U.S., which would be combined with a battery cell plant. It could be located in Texas. We guess that Samsung SDI might be interested in this location as well.
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