A worker was killed in a forklift accident at LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor's joint battery plant in Georgia.

The incident occurred at 4:45 p.m. Friday at the plant in Bryan County after a forklift struck the worker. The case is still under investigation.

It's the second causality at Hyundai's Georgia plant after a 34-year-old died after falling from a structure at the site in April 2023.


"We express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of the deceased. We are offering support services and have paused operations to reinforce safety protocols," said LG Energy Solution in a statement. "We are fully cooperating with OSHA in the investigation.”

The $7.6 billion battery plant is expected to start operation at the end of 2025, with an annual capacity of 30 gigawatt hours of battery cells, or enough to power some 300,000 EVs. The plant will create around 8,500 new jobs, the two companies said.

The produced batteries will be used in Hyundai EVs made at its Georgia megaplant, which is slated to start mass production on March 26. The automaker announced on Monday an additional $21 billion for investment solely in the United States, including a $6 billion steel factory in Lousiana.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]