Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 6 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 6 related plants in PECWeb
Released March 26, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Like many of its northern neighbors, Kentucky has become home to a thriving automotive sector, led by the charge for electric vehicles (EVs). Projects involving automotive battery production and EV assembly account for billions of projects underway in the state, but other sectors such as renewable power and the state's famed distilleries also are heavy hitters, contributing to Kentucky's $11 billion worth of projects presently under construction.
Ranked by investment value, the top three projects underway in Kentucky are all for the automotive sector and collectively total nearly $6 billion. The largest of these is from BlueOvalSK (Dearborn, Michigan), a joint venture of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) (Dearborn, Michigan) and South Korea's SK Innovation (Seoul). In Glendale, about 50 miles south of Louisville, BlueOvalSK is underway with construction of a 4 million-square-foot battery manufacturing plant to produce batteries for Ford's next-generation electric F-Series trucks and other Ford and Lincoln EVs built in North America. The plant, the first phase of a multi-phase project, is expected to be completed later this year, when it will begin ramping up toward full production of 43 gigawatt-hours of batteries per year, or enough for about 1.3 EVs annually. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Progress is being made on another EV-battery plant in Bowling Green by Envision-AESC LLC (Smyrna, Tennessee). Construction of the 3 million-square-foot plant has been underway since late 2022 and is expected to be completed toward the end of this year. According to the company, the batteries coming off the line will have 30% more energy density than today's standard batteries, reducing charging times and increasing range. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
The third top project by value sees Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) (Toyota City, Japan) upgrading its 8.1 million-square-foot plant in Georgetown to begin production of a new model of EV. The project is nearing completion. (See project report.)
Outside of the automotive sector, Kentucky abounds with smaller projects. Apart from manufacturing, the Food & Beverage Industry looms largest in Kentucky's current spending, thanks largely to nicotine and whiskey. Swedish Match's (Stockholm, Sweden) ZYN nicotine pouches, similar to a pouch-tobacco product but containing nicotine powder instead of tobacco leaf, have been gaining in popularity. The pouches don't necessitate spitting and come in flavors such as spearmint and peppermint. To keep up with growing demand, Swedish Match is expanding its factory in Owensboro, Kentucky. The project involves adding 160,000 square feet of space along with two production lines. The plant employs about 1,100 people, and the new lines are expected to create about 450 direct jobs. The facility is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Industrial Info is tracking no less than 23 projects underway at Kentucky distilleries, ranging in size from small boutique operations of less than $2 million to more substantial projects totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The projects represent a mix of both grassroot construction and expansions. One of the largest expansion projects comes from one of Kentucky's most well-known bourbon brands, Wild Turkey Distilleries (Lawrenceburg, Kentucky). Kentucky-headquartered contractor Gray Construction (Lexington) began work on an expansion of the famed distillery in Lawrenceburg last year. Wild Turkey is adding another distilling facility that will allow it to increase production from 9 million proof gallons per year to 14 million. In addition to its standard Wild Turkey bourbon line, the expansion should allow the company more scope for its smaller-batch lines and Wild Turkey 101 12-Year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
Kentucky's Power Industry also is showing more than $1 billion worth of projects under construction, due primarily to a handful of utility-scale solar power plants being constructed throughout the state. The largest of these comes from U.S. renewable energy leader NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida), which is underway with the Sebree solar plant in Robards in the west of the state, near the Indiana and Illinois borders. The Sebree plant will employ more than 850,000 solar modules to provide about 250 megawatts (MW) of power generation. The project is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers can click here for more details of the project.
The state's Metals & Minerals Industry is growing, thanks to the expansion of North American Stainless Company's (Ghent, Kentucky) hot and cold steel rolling mill in Ghent. The company is installing a new 1,350-millimeter reverse cold rolling mill that will be able to produce about 40 tons per hour, boosting the mill's existing 1.4 million tons per year of stainless steel production capacity by about 200,000 tons per year. Completion, which is expected this summer, can't come too soon as domestic steel sales are expected to grow in the face of new tariffs on imported steel. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for more details on the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Ranked by investment value, the top three projects underway in Kentucky are all for the automotive sector and collectively total nearly $6 billion. The largest of these is from BlueOvalSK (Dearborn, Michigan), a joint venture of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) (Dearborn, Michigan) and South Korea's SK Innovation (Seoul). In Glendale, about 50 miles south of Louisville, BlueOvalSK is underway with construction of a 4 million-square-foot battery manufacturing plant to produce batteries for Ford's next-generation electric F-Series trucks and other Ford and Lincoln EVs built in North America. The plant, the first phase of a multi-phase project, is expected to be completed later this year, when it will begin ramping up toward full production of 43 gigawatt-hours of batteries per year, or enough for about 1.3 EVs annually. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Progress is being made on another EV-battery plant in Bowling Green by Envision-AESC LLC (Smyrna, Tennessee). Construction of the 3 million-square-foot plant has been underway since late 2022 and is expected to be completed toward the end of this year. According to the company, the batteries coming off the line will have 30% more energy density than today's standard batteries, reducing charging times and increasing range. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
The third top project by value sees Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) (Toyota City, Japan) upgrading its 8.1 million-square-foot plant in Georgetown to begin production of a new model of EV. The project is nearing completion. (See project report.)
Outside of the automotive sector, Kentucky abounds with smaller projects. Apart from manufacturing, the Food & Beverage Industry looms largest in Kentucky's current spending, thanks largely to nicotine and whiskey. Swedish Match's (Stockholm, Sweden) ZYN nicotine pouches, similar to a pouch-tobacco product but containing nicotine powder instead of tobacco leaf, have been gaining in popularity. The pouches don't necessitate spitting and come in flavors such as spearmint and peppermint. To keep up with growing demand, Swedish Match is expanding its factory in Owensboro, Kentucky. The project involves adding 160,000 square feet of space along with two production lines. The plant employs about 1,100 people, and the new lines are expected to create about 450 direct jobs. The facility is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Industrial Info is tracking no less than 23 projects underway at Kentucky distilleries, ranging in size from small boutique operations of less than $2 million to more substantial projects totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The projects represent a mix of both grassroot construction and expansions. One of the largest expansion projects comes from one of Kentucky's most well-known bourbon brands, Wild Turkey Distilleries (Lawrenceburg, Kentucky). Kentucky-headquartered contractor Gray Construction (Lexington) began work on an expansion of the famed distillery in Lawrenceburg last year. Wild Turkey is adding another distilling facility that will allow it to increase production from 9 million proof gallons per year to 14 million. In addition to its standard Wild Turkey bourbon line, the expansion should allow the company more scope for its smaller-batch lines and Wild Turkey 101 12-Year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
Kentucky's Power Industry also is showing more than $1 billion worth of projects under construction, due primarily to a handful of utility-scale solar power plants being constructed throughout the state. The largest of these comes from U.S. renewable energy leader NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida), which is underway with the Sebree solar plant in Robards in the west of the state, near the Indiana and Illinois borders. The Sebree plant will employ more than 850,000 solar modules to provide about 250 megawatts (MW) of power generation. The project is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers can click here for more details of the project.
The state's Metals & Minerals Industry is growing, thanks to the expansion of North American Stainless Company's (Ghent, Kentucky) hot and cold steel rolling mill in Ghent. The company is installing a new 1,350-millimeter reverse cold rolling mill that will be able to produce about 40 tons per hour, boosting the mill's existing 1.4 million tons per year of stainless steel production capacity by about 200,000 tons per year. Completion, which is expected this summer, can't come too soon as domestic steel sales are expected to grow in the face of new tariffs on imported steel. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for more details on the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
