LG Energy Solution Arizona hosted a special event Friday to provide construction updates on its $5.5 billion Queen Creek manufacturing facility, as well as celebrate the opening of a workforce training center in Pinal County that will benefit the South Korean-based company.

The facility, at Pecos and Ironwood roads, just east of where State Route 24 currently ends, is expected to create 1,500 new jobs by 2007, according to a press release from LGES.

Richard Ra, president of LG Energy Solution Arizona, hosted Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley, Pinal County Supervisors Mike Goodman and Jeff Serdy, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority Sandra Watson, and President and CEO of Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry Danny Seiden at the event.

Ra announced construction of the cylindrical battery facility is now about halfway complete “with the aim to start sample production in the middle of next year and commercial production by the year end,” according to an LGES press release.

The company has also recently started training its launch team members at the new workforce training center in Apache Junction established under Arizona’s Future48 Workforce Accelerator program in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Pinal County and Central Arizona College.

The 19,850-square-foot training center is part of the state’s $30 million Future48 Workforce Accelerator project and was constructed along with a $42 million expansion at Central Arizona College’s Superstition campus in Apache Junction.

The Queen Creek facility is LG Energy Solution’s first cylindrical battery plant in the U.S. The company has a stand-alone facility in Holland, Michigan, that manufactures pouch-type batteries for automakers in North America.

The company recently secured a series of supply agreements with automakers for its 46-Series cylindrical batteries that will be manufactured in Arizona, the release stated.

“We look forward to a continued partnership for the facility’s stable operation,as this project goes beyond simply constructing a plant; we actively support developing regional talent through high-quality training programs, empowering them to become future battery professionals who will contribute to U.S. electrification with our innovative power solutions,” Ra stated in the release.