JEFFERSONVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — Honda and LG Energy Solutions broke ground on a $4.4 billion electric vehicle battery plant on Tuesday in Jeffersonville.

Honda officials said the plant is expected bring in nearly 2,200 hundred jobs to the region, and will sprawl more than 2 million square feet. Gov. Mike DeWine said at the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday.

“This location, which has always been a great location but has never had watered before now, will have that water,” DeWine said.

Dewine said the joint venture between Honda and LG Energy Solutions will bring diversity, jobs, and an overall booming economy.

“Just think of 2,200 people coming into this county every single day and what that is going to do. What that is going to do for restaurants, what it is going to do for retail,” DeWine said.

State, local and company officials celebrated the groundbreaking. Honda and LG Energy Solutions Joint Venture CEO Robert Lee is describing the new facility as their benchmark for the future, saying it was designed intently with the employee experience in mind.

“Just in the way we design the workflow itself and the space that is needed I know we try to make sure that it is comfortable for people,” Lee said.

The plant will be the production site for cutting edge lithium-ion batteries. Honda plans to begin production and sales for electric vehicles in North America in 2026. The company hopes to achieve carbon neutrality for all products by 2050.

“We think it is important to look out for the environment and plan for the future: our children and our grandchildren,” said Rick Riggle the COO for LG Energy Solutions.

Company leaders say this also supports Honda’s efforts to bring jobs to American soil.

“I think bringing back very good American jobs is something that I am very proud of,” Lee said.

Honda and LG officials called Fayette county the perfect location as it sits right in the middle of Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. Most of all, state leaders said it supports making Ohio the “go to state in the heartland.”

“My prediction is you are going to see other companies come in right in here,” DeWine said.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said it will also breed a whole new generation of skills.

“This is a whole new skill set that is going to be developed in the workforce. Educational institutions will develop programming around it and these will be the jobs of the future,” Husted said.

State officials also pointed out thousands of construction jobs will be created for the building of this facility. Construction is set to finish at the end of 2024, and they plan to start mass production in 2025.