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Hyundai’s huge EV manufacturing facility in Georgia became the latest target of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown last week, with federal agents detaining 475 workers, most of them from South Korea.
The raid has delayed the opening of the complex’s battery factory, which the automaker is building with LG Energy Solution in the Southeast’s growing “battery belt.” And experts, including South Korea’s president, have warned the move could have a much broader chilling effect on foreign investment in U.S. factories — much of which has flowed to clean energy projects in recent years.
Hyundai broke ground on its Georgia complex three years ago after securing $2.1 billion in subsidies from the state and nearby counties, with strong support from Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. But that investment came with conditions, namely that Hyundai and its suppliers would hire at least 8,500 long-term workers by 2031.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement alleges those arrested were working illegally. But an attorney for several detained South Koreans says they have valid visas and were only working for a short time to get the facility’s battery operations up and running. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung defended the workers in a Thursday statement.
“When you build a factory or install equipment at a factory, you need technicians. But the United States doesn’t have that workforce, and yet they won’t issue visas to let our people stay and do the work,” he said. “If that’s not possible, then establishing a local factory in the United States will either come with severe disadvantages or become very difficult for our companies. They will wonder whether they should even do it.”
That could be an especially big problem for Georgia, which is home to about 100 Korean-owned facilities employing 17,000 people. That includes an SK Battery America EV battery factory, Hanwha Qcells’ solar panel plant, and a Kia EV manufacturing facility.
Last week’s raid is already having tangible ripple effects on U.S. manufacturing. Reuters reports that South Korean workers at other LG Energy Solution production sites and an LG/General Motors plant are preparing to depart due to visa worries — or already have.
Revolution Wind decision is imminent, Burgum says
Three weeks after the Trump administration halted work on a nearly complete offshore wind farm near Rhode Island, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum suggested that his department will soon decide whether Revolution Wind can restart construction. The administration is “in discussions” with state governors and the project’s developers, and is finishing its required reviews, he told CNBC on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) later told the Rhode Island Current that the governor hadn’t secured a meeting with President Donald Trump as of Wednesday, but McKee and Burgum have been texting. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) has meanwhile said that he is open to discussing power projects involving natural gas if the administration lets Revolution Wind construction resume.
Meanwhile, the future is clearer for the wind farm that Virginia utility Dominion Energy is currently building off the state’s coast. The New York Times reports that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is quietly lobbying the Trump administration to let the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind continue, and is so far finding success. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that he has also lobbied Cabinet secretaries in support of the project.
Pairing solar with sheep, canals, and far-flung communities
This week, Canary Media reporters showcased solar power’s innovative potential. Jeff St. John started us off in California, where wildfire risks are making it harder for utilities to maintain the power lines that serve remote areas. But a 3,200-acre nature reserve now has reliable power at its far-flung guest house thanks to a solar-plus-battery-storage microgrid — an example of the “remote grids” PG&E has begun installing.
Also in California, the state’s first solar array covering an irrigation canal has come online, Maria Gallucci reports. Researchers hope the project will also help reduce evaporation in the drought-prone Central Valley.
And in Illinois, Kari Lydersen has the story of how grazing sheep have become the perfect partner for solar panels. There’s just one problem: The U.S. lamb market isn’t strong enough for the idea to take off.
An inconvenient truth: A new report finds that when it comes to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, major companies are largely leaning on methods that are ineffective in the long term. (Grist)
Storage, multiplied: Tesla unveils the Megablock — a product that packages together four Megapack batteries and a transformer into an easy-to-deploy grid storage product. (Canary Media)
Derailing rural solar: In a South Dakota county, misinformation about solar power led to an ordinance that blocked a fourth-generation farmer from installing an array that would have supplied him with extra income — a scene that’s playing out across rural communities in the U.S. (The Guardian)
Catching a wave: No company has yet commercialized power generation from waves, but Eco Wave Power thinks it’s cracked the code with technology it just installed at the Port of Los Angeles. (Canary Media)
Solar’s dimming future: Solar and storage make up the vast majority of new power plant construction in the U.S., but face a“seismic shift” due to hostile Trump administration policies, which could ultimately lead to 21% less solar installed through 2030. (E&E News)
Tesla keeps falling: After years of accounting for over half of the U.S. EV market and reaching a more than 80% high, Tesla made up just 38% of total EV sales in August, marking an eight-year low, according to Cox Automotive data. (Reuters)
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