Though it has faced its fair share of trials and tribulations over the past couple of years, the Ford EV battery plant known as BlueOval Battery Park Michigan continues to take shape, and is still on track to begin producing lithium iron-phosphate batteries for all-electric vehicles starting in 2026. Due to softened demand growth for EVs, the future Ford EV battery plant won’t be quite as large or have as much output as originally expected, however. Now, the owner of the property the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site sits on is facing their own unique issue.
According to The Detroit News, the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA) – which currently owns the property on which the Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site is being constructed – was cited in both June and July by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) for a number of runoff issues at the site. As a result, sediment was able to seep into the Kalamazoo River.
This sediment was noticed by paddlers in the river, who submitted photos and drone footage to the state, showing cloudy, unnatural colors in the water. EGLE discovered that the site didn’t employ protections necessary to stop this sentiment runoff during heavy rain, including a lack of vegetation, ineffective soil erosion control, improperly installed silt fencing, and an unfinished storm water drainage system. As a result, the site was found to be in violation of state environmental protection laws and construction codes.
“We are working closely with Calhoun County and (EGLE) to improve upon the approved soil erosion control plan,” said Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance CEO James Durian. “In addition, our construction team has taken numerous engineering steps, including the installation of improved and expanded erosion control measures to help further reduce the risk of future discharges.”
As Ford Authority previously reported, FoMoCo recently decided to cut back its planned workforce at BlueOval Battery Park Michigan from 2,500 workers to 1,700 and dial back its expected production output as well, from 35 gigawatt hours to 20 annually. As such, the future Ford EV battery plant will also have a smaller footprint than originally expected. As a result, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Michigan Strategic Fund for BlueOval Battery Park Michigan reduced the value of its incentive offer for the site from roughly $1.035 billion to somewhere between $384 million and $409 million.
We’ll have more on Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
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