LG Energy Solution Arizona has donated $50,000 to the town of Queen Creek.
The donation was made on Wednesday during the Queen Creek Town Council meeting.
The money will go toward operational equipment for the fire department and an additional holiday decoration.
“It has been more than two years since we first came to Queen Creek and began our journey. During this time, we have been grateful for the warm support, guidance and hospitality people show to us and sent to us,” said Richard Ra, president of LG Energy Solution Arizona, a subsidiary of the South Korean electric vehicle battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution. “Our goal is not only to build the most advanced battery manufacturing facility in Arizona but also to become a responsible and contributing member of this community.”
In April 2022, LGES successfully bid on a 640-acre parcel of state-owned land in Queen Creek to build the plant, purchasing the first 320 acres with an option to buy the remaining 320 acres.
A year later, the company announced that it was investing $5.5 billion to build a two-facility manufacturing complex at Ironwood and Pecos roads that would be the company’s first stand-alone cylindrical and ESS battery plants in North America.
The first facility is a cylindrical battery plant called LG Energy Solution Arizona. It will produce 46-Series batteries for electric vehicles. LG Energy Solution Arizona began hiring employees earlier this year.
The second facility, which was paused in July 2024, is planned as an ESS battery manufacturing facility called LG Energy Solution Arizona ESS that will produce lithium iron phosphate pouch-type batteries for energy storage systems. It is considered to be one of the first ESS-exclusive battery production facilities in the world.
In March, Mayor Julia Wheatley, who is currently on leave, visited South Korea and said she was told by LGES executives that plans were still in place to build the second facility though no timeline has been set.
As part of its development deal with LGES, Queen Creek agreed to construct new streets, widen streets, and make water and wastewater improvements in the public area adjacent to the complex at an estimated total cost of $84 million.
The town will be reimbursed for the cost of the infrastructure through state and town construction sales taxes paid by LGES as it builds its facility.
“We believe that creating a safer community and helping families enjoy a more joyful holiday season together is another foundation of the better future we all are strive for,” Ra said. “We still have much to learn and many ways to grow alongside (Queen Creek).”
Vice Mayor Leah Martineau thanked Ra for the company’s “generosity and for your partnership with us and caring so much about our community here in Queen Creek.”
Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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