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Ryan, Ohio legislators meeting with LG Chem today on battery plant

By Mahoning Matters staff and Justin Dennis
From left to right: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and State sens. Sean O'Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, and Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd
From left to right: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and State sens. Sean O'Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, and Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd

WASHINGTON — Local legislators have set a meeting today with LG Chem executives on the South Korean chemical company's electric vehicle battery plant headed to Lordstown as part of a joint venture with General Motors.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th is hosting the meeting at his Capitol office. State sens. Sean O'Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, and Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd, and Ryan are expected to meet with Jin-Won Park, LG Corporation's senior vice president and head of policy research; Jun-Sung Park, LG Chemical's vice president of public affairs; and Eun Kee, LG Chemical's vice president of the battery division.

A media conference is expected this afternoon, following the meeting. Check back at MahoningMatters.com for more details from that briefing.

About a year after General Motors announced it would stop making cars at its former Lordstown Assembly Complex, it unveiled a new, $2.3-billion joint venture that would put about 1,100 people back to work.

A nearly two-year construction plan on GM's proposed electric vehicle battery cell plant could begin in April, just a stone's throw from the 53-year-old former GM assembly plant that's now home to electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors Corp.

This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 5:55 AM with the headline "Ryan, Ohio legislators meeting with LG Chem today on battery plant."