Company:BlueOval SK

From HandWiki
BlueOval SK, LLC
TypeJoint venture
IndustryElectric vehicle batteries
FateDissolved
Founded2021
Defunct2026
Key people
  • Jiem Cranney (CEO)
  • Robert Lee (CFO)
  • Michael Adams (CPO)
  • Sangkyu Han (CTO)
Owner
[1]
Number of employees
~2000 (2025)[2][3]
Websitewww.blueovalsk.com

BlueOval SK, LLC (BOSK) was an electric vehicle battery joint venture between Ford Motor Company of the United States and SK On of South Korea from 2021 to 2026.[4][5][6] The batteries were for use in Ford and Lincoln vehicles.[7][8] Three battery plants were planned, two in Kentucky and one in Tennessee.[9][3] Both Governors Andy Beshear and Bill Lee stated that it was the "single largest investment" in their state's history.[10][11]

BlueOval SK Battery Park in Glendale, Kentucky on October 22, 2025

History

2021 to 2022

In May 2021, the two companies announced an MoU for the joint venture, with the goal of producing approximately 60 GWh per year by the middle of the decade, along with 11,000 jobs.[7] In September, a Kentucky bill designated $350 million in forgivable loans, $250 million of which would be given to BOSK.[12] That month, sites were announced for Stanton, Tennessee and Glendale, Kentucky.[9] The announcement gained the support of Republican officials from the two states who were noted for opposing efforts like the Green New Deal.[13] Groundbreaking began on both sites in 2022.[14][15]

BlueOval SK Battery Park in Glendale, Kentucky under construction on December 18, 2022

2023 to 2024

In March 2023, United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited the Kentucky site, speaking on the effects of the Inflation Reduction Act on increased domestic production.[16] In June, the United States Department of Energy announced a loan of $9.2 billion for the JV.[17] In October, Ford announced a slowdown of investments, including BOSK, to match declining EV demand. The second Glendale plant was delayed.[18] In December 2024, the DOE finalized the direct loan at $9.63 billion.[19]

2025 to 2026

In January 2025, the United Auto Workers petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a union election at the Kentucky site. It stated that the majority of employees were supportive of a union.[20] The results of the vote, in August, were contested by BOSK on the grounds of ineligible ballots.[21] Production at the Kentucky plant started the week before the vote.[22] In October, Governor Lee visited Seoul to meet with SK On's CEO.[23] In December, Ford announced a halt to its plans for larger electric vehicles due to regulatory, demand, and cost issues. It entered a JV disposition agreement with SK On and SK Battery America, dividing ownership of the plants. A Ford subsidiary would exclusively operate the Kentucky battery plants, while SK On would take Tennessee's. The Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center in BlueOval City was renamed to the "Tennessee Truck Plant." The focus of Ford's battery production shifted to battery energy storage systems for data centers and the electric grid.[24] The Kentucky plant's work force would be laid off by February 2026, with the plan to rehire 2,100 employees in 2027 after retooling.[25]

In January 2026, the NLRB greenlit the progress of the union's certification. BOSK planned to file an appeal, with future unionization status of the plant's rehired workers in the air.[26][27] In February, it was reported that Ford would not operate the second building in Kentucky and would look for other manufacturers that might be interested in it.[12] In March, 150 employees at the Tennessee site were laid off.[28]

BlueOval City in Stanton, Tennessee

Sites

BlueOval City was constructed on the Memphis Regional Megasite, which had failed to attract a tenant for years due to wastewater treatment issues.[29] The Battery Park was constructed on a site purchased by the Kentucky state in 2002 to attract Hyundai to build a car plant.[12][30]

Name Location Investment (USD) Products
BlueOval SK Battery Park Kentucky 5.8 billion batteries
BlueOval City Tennessee 5.6 billion batteries, Ford F-150 Lightning

See also

  • Battery industry of South Korea

References

  1. ↑ "f-20241213". https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/37996/000003799624000235/f-20241213.htm. 
  2. ↑ "BlueOval SK seeks end to union ahead of closure" (in en-US). 2026-01-13. https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/blueoval-sk-union-vote-plant-closure/417-8511521f-7cd5-4c18-815a-5475c1c81d44. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "BlueOvalSK moves first workers into TN plant, could start battery production this year" (in en-US). WREG.com. 2025-03-28. https://wreg.com/news/blueoval-city/blueovalsk-moves-workers-into-battery-plant/. 
  4. ↑ "SK On Establishes Joint Venture with Ford Motor Company to Manufacture Electric Vehicle Batteries" (in en). https://eng.sk.com/history/sk-innovation-establishes-joint-venture-with-ford-motor-company-to-manufacture-electric-vehicle-batteries. 
  5. ↑ "Ford Follows Customers to Drive Profitable Growth; Reinvests in Trucks, Hybrids, Affordable EVs, Battery Storage; Takes EV-Related Charges" (in en). https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2025/ford-reinvests-trucks-hybrids-affordable-electric-vehicles. 
  6. ↑ "SK On, Ford agree to dissolve $11B battery joint venture across 3 U.S. factories" (in en). 2025-12-11. https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-12-11/business/industry/SK-On-Ford-agree-to-dissolve-11B-battery-joint-venture-across-3-US-factories/2475633. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Ford commits to manufacturing batteries, to form new Joint Venture with SK innovation to scale North America battery deliveries". June 4, 2021. https://corporate.ford.com//articles/electrification/ford-commits-to-manufacturing-batteries/. 
  8. ↑ "BlueOval City FAQs". https://corporate.ford.com//operations/blue-oval-city/faqs/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Ford to Lead America's Shift to Electric Vehicles with New Mega Campus in Tennessee and Twin Battery Plants in Kentucky; $11.4B Investment to Create 11,000 Jobs and Power New Lineup of Advanced EVs" (in en). https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2021/ford-to-lead-americas-shift-to-electric-vehicles. 
  10. ↑ "Gov. Beshear: Kentucky's BlueOval SK EV Battery Plants Begin Production,Marking Milestone 4 Years in the Making" (in en-us). https://www.kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2561. 
  11. ↑ "Gov. Lee, Ford Celebrate Historic BlueOval City in West TN" (in en). https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2023/3/23/gov--lee--ford-celebrate-historic-blueoval-city-in-west-tn.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Sonka, Joe (2026-02-04). "Kentucky lawmakers seek answers on $250M loan after Ford EV battery plant closure" (in en). https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-02-04/kentucky-lawmakers-seek-answers-on-250m-loan-after-ford-ev-battery-plant-closure. 
  13. ↑ "Opinion | Why Are Republicans Now Loving the Sweet Sound of Electric Vehicles? (Published 2021)" (in en). 2021-11-08. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/opinion/ford-tennessee-jobs-electric-cars.html. 
  14. ↑ "Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center" (in en-US). https://www.ssoe.com/project/tennessee-electric-vehicle-center/. 
  15. ↑ "BlueOval SK Breaks Ground on EV Battery Mega Campus" (in en). December 5, 2022. https://eng.sk.com/news/sk-on-ford-jv-holds-first-groundbreaking-ceremony-for-ev-battery-mega-campus. 
  16. ↑ Vanderhoff, Mark (2023-03-04). "U.S. Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg visits Ford battery plant in Hardin County" (in en). https://www.wlky.com/article/us-secretary-transportation-buttigieg-ford-battery-plant-hardin-county/43183847. 
  17. ↑ "Ford’s Battery Joint Venture to Get $9.2 Billion Government Loan (Published 2023)" (in en). 2023-06-22. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/business/energy-environment/ford-battery-plants-loan.html. 
  18. ↑ "Ford delays production at second Kentucky battery plant; County officials won't change project timelines" (in en-US). 2023-10-27. https://www.whas11.com/article/money/business/ford-delays-production-kentucky-battery-plant-blue-oval-sk-glendale-hardin-county/417-6a9ddb27-692d-449e-b6f7-6375f10141e5. 
  19. ↑ "DOE Announces $9.63 Billion Loan to BlueOval SK to Further Expand US Manufacturing of Electric Vehicle Batteries" (in en). 2024-12-16. https://www.energy.gov/edf/articles/doe-announces-963-billion-loan-blueoval-sk-further-expand-us-manufacturing-electric. 
  20. ↑ "U.A.W. Seeks Union Election at Ford Battery Joint Venture in Kentucky" (in en). 2025-01-08. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/business/ford-union-election-kentucky-factory.html. 
  21. ↑ "Union Leads in Vote at Ford Battery Venture" (in en). 2025-08-28. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/business/uaw-blueoval-ford-sk-on.html. 
  22. ↑ Autry, Lisa (2025-08-19). "One week ahead of union vote, first EV battery comes off the assembly line at BlueOval SK in Glendale, Ky" (in en). https://www.wkyufm.org/news/2025-08-19/one-week-ahead-of-union-vote-first-ev-battery-comes-off-the-assembly-line-at-blueoval-sk-in-glendale-ky. 
  23. ↑ "Tennessee governor, SK On CEO discuss battery cooperation - 매일경제 영문뉴스 펄스(Pulse)" (in ko). https://pulse.mk.co.kr/news/english/11450510. 
  24. ↑ "Ford Follows Customers to Drive Profitable Growth; Reinvests in Trucks, Hybrids, Affordable EVs, Battery Storage; Takes EV-Related Charges" (in en). https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2025/ford-reinvests-trucks-hybrids-affordable-electric-vehicles. 
  25. ↑ James, Josh (2025-12-19). "BlueOval layoffs present a challenge for workers, state supporters" (in en). https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2025-12-19/blueoval-layoffs-present-a-challenge-for-workers-state-supporters. 
  26. ↑ "BlueOval SK seeks end to union ahead of closure" (in en-US). 2026-01-13. https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/blueoval-sk-union-vote-plant-closure/417-8511521f-7cd5-4c18-815a-5475c1c81d44. 
  27. ↑ Autry, Lisa (2025-12-23). "'Now they're left in the rain': BlueOval workers face Feb.14 closing date" (in en). https://www.wkyufm.org/news/2025-12-23/now-theyre-left-in-the-rain-blueoval-workers-in-glendale-face-feb-14-closing-date. 
  28. ↑ Gallant, Jacob; Redmond, Michaela (2026-03-06). "'Disappointing:' BlueOval SK laying off 150 workers" (in en). https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/03/06/blueoval-city-laying-off-150-workers/. 
  29. ↑ Sisk, Chas (2017-11-14). "Conceding 'Megasite' Still Isn't Ready, Tennessee Officials Say They're Going To Ask For Help" (in en-US). https://wpln.org/post/conceding-megasite-still-isnt-ready-tennessee-officials-say-theyre-going-to-ask-for-help/. 
  30. ↑ Barton, Ryland (2021-09-09). "Lawmakers Advance Bill To Attract Companies With Rainy Day Savings" (in en). https://www.lpm.org/news/2021-09-08/lawmakers-advance-bill-to-attract-companies-with-rainy-day-savings. 



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Company:BlueOval_SK&oldid=4307885"