After an initial hiatus in 2024 of its $5 billion manufacturing campus in Social Circle, Ga., as construction began, automaker Rivian is moving forward with work on the electric vehicle plant, with plans to begin production in late 2028.
CJ Adventures, a joint venture between Chicago-based Clayco and JE Dunn Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo., is the lead contractor on the project with Affiliated Engineers Inc., based in Madison, Wis., and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as the design architect.
CJ Adventures and Lamar Johnson Collaborative, a unit of Clayco, are also delivering the civil realms of the 1,800-acre site, along with a paint shop, through a design-build approach.
After a ceremonial groundbreaking last September, vertical construction began in May, the largest non-residential project to begin construction nationally that month, according to the Dodge Construction Network.
As of August, work was underway on the foundations of two stamping presses inside one of the buildings, according to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This is “one of the most capital-intensive and technically demanding projects within the plant from a construction standpoint,” Rivian said in a statement.
The project includes the 16 million square meter manufacturing facility, along with public facilities such as a service, delivery and cargo center. The project team expects the main factory buildings to be closed by 2027.
Rivian plans to preserve part of the site as a forest and for recreation, and later phases would add a driving range with spectator seating, a restaurant and other visitor services.
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-1.5
Percent Change in Manufacturing Starts: July 2025 to July 2026
Source: Dodge Construction Network
With room to expand manufacturing, Rivian has adjusted the plant’s projected capacity several times. Since resuming the project, the company has increased the plant’s annual capacity from 200,000 vehicles to 300,000, saying it would improve cost efficiency while still providing room for possible future capacity expansion, although the number remains lower than its one-time estimate of 400,000 vehicles.
The Rivian site is one of several plant projects in the region, including the $7.6 billion Hyundai Metaplant outside Savannah, as Georgia has moved to welcome battery and electric vehicle makers as a key part of its future economic growth.
Although federal support for electric vehicles has not remained stable from the Biden administration to the second Trump administration, Rivian and the U.S. Department of Energy renegotiated an incentive package this year, with a total loan value of about $4.5 billion, in line with the project’s updated design and schedule.
Rivian said it plans to produce electric SUVs and robotaxis for Uber at the plant.
