Electric vehicle (EV) startup Rivian Automotive Inc. plans to hold two ceremonial events to christen the forthcoming construction of its long-delayed $5 billion manufacturing facility, located an hour east of Atlanta.
The company will play host to a community event Sept. 14, 2025, and a formal groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 16 with stakeholders, media, and government officials, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The two events , 2025, at the roughly 2,000-acre project site along Interstate 20 bolster promises by Rivian leaders to begin vertical construction of the factory in 2026, following multiple delays and setbacks.
"The governor remains excited about the generational opportunity Rivian's commitment will bring to hardworking Georgians," a Kemp spokesperson said in a statement. "He, along with the first lady, look forward to joining Rivian and state and local leaders to break ground on this next chapter in Georgia's ongoing economic success story."
A Rivian spokesperson added that the company is "excited to welcome our future neighbors" at the Sept. 14 event, which will feature vendors, food, live music and off-road-course rides in its vehicles.
"We look forward to continuing our work with our partners and surrounding communities as we strive to provide thousands of new, good-paying jobs in this fast-moving industry," said Rivian.
Rivian Factory Construction Back on Track
Since its announcement in late 2021, Rivian's plans for a manufacturing plant in Georgia have resembled a roller coaster ride.
The company first announced plans to open the factory near the community of Social Circle in southern Walton and Morgan counties in 2024, but the project was pushed back and ultimately paused indefinitely as Rivian sought to cut costs, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Aug. 18.
Still, Rivian said it would fulfill its promises to open the plant and meet its commitment to employ 7,500 workers. Company officials have said that a $6.6 billion federal loan approved days before President Joe Biden left office last January would help accelerate the Georgia facility's launch.
At the time of its announcement, the Rivian factory represented the state's largest-ever economic development project. Since then, Hyundai has announced and opened an even larger EV factory near Savannah.
In their efforts to recruit the Rivian plant to the Peach State, state and local officials offered the company a $1.5 billion incentive package which requires the automaker to build its promised manufacturing facility and meet hiring requirements in order to see the bulk of those financial benefits and tax savings.
Similarly, Rivian must break ground on its factory to tap into the federal loan, the Journal-Constitution added.
The loan's approval by the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office has been criticized by some Georgia Republicans and allies of President Donald Trump, including members of his campaign's transition team. Georgia's two Democratic U.S. senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, lobbied for many of those clean energy incentives, including Rivian's loan.
"The loan is set up as more of a project finance instrument," Claire McDonough, Rivian's chief financial officer, told the Atlanta newspaper in July. "So, it does require Rivian to have broken ground and continue to invest in the site before we'll have a timeline for an initial [loan] draw out of the facility, which is really by design."
The factory's site has been graded and is undergoing utility installation. Vertical construction is planned to begin on an unspecified date next year, with vehicle production projected to start by 2028.
Rivian has said the Georgia factory will be the home of expanded production of its upcoming R2 crossover automobile.
"The work that we've been doing over the course of the last handful of years is to ensure that we can reduce the timeline between [the Georgia factory's] start of construction and [beginning] of production for future vehicles out of the site," McDonough said.
Jerry Silvio, chair of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties, and one of the local officials who helped manage the Rivian project, congratulated the company on its latest plans.
"There is no question about the project's future — it is secure," Silvio said in a statement. "And we are charging ahead to deliver jobs, growth and opportunity for our communities."
