WALTON COUNTY — Tuesday was a massive day in Georgia’s economic history as the long-awaited Rivian project officially broke ground.

The site, which is located in Social Circle, is set to host a plant that will manufacture Rivian’s R2 and R3 electric vehicles. Vertical construction of the site is slated to begin in 2026, with vehicle manufacturing expected to roll out in 2028. 

Rivian is anticipating a total of 7,500 permanent jobs by 2030 and just over 2,000 construction jobs while the plant is being built.

Rivian Founder and Chief Executive Officer RJ Scaringe was on-hand for the historic event, emphatically expressing his enthusiasm for what’s to come.

“If you look at what you see is those paths and sort of squint and imagine in just a little bit of time, there’s gonna be a building on this site,” Scaringe said. “And that building is gonna be filled with thousands of Georgian’s building our vehicles. 

“And these aren’t just any vehicles, for us this is a really key part of our growth as a company. This is an inflection point for us.”

Joining Scaringe in attendance for Tuesday’s groundbreaking were many state officials, including Governor Brian Kemp.

Kemp has long been an advocate for this project, having initially been apart of the first announcements that Rivian was coming to Georgia in 2021. He took the time to emphasize what the project could potentially mean for Georgia’s economic development efforts, while also taking the time to thank those in the local communities who showed support.

“Thanks to that approach, we're able to celebrate days like today, that represent  real growth and opportunity for hardworking Georgians,” Kemp said. “Working together, I look forward to continuing to deliver on the promises we made to Georgians on that December day four years ago.”

Joining Kemp on stage from the state side was Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives Jon Burns, who put over the Rivian project as part of the “Georgia success story.”

“The House, I can assure you, looks forward to continuing to see the positive impacts of Rivian will bring to Georgia, not only for our state, but for our region as well, for generations to come,” Burns said.

On the local side, chairman of the Morgan, Walton, Newton and Jasper Counties’ Joint Development Authority (JDA) Jerry Silvio also addressed the hundreds in attendance. Silvio, who is a representative from Newton County, said that Tuesday’s ceremony was far more than just an ordinary event, but a culmination of a quarter-century's work.

“Today isn’t just a groundbreaking,” Silvio said. “The Rivian project embodies the vision the JDA set forth 25 years ago, that being creating a high-tech good paying job that stays in our communities.”

While Tuesday was a landmark day for those involved in the Rivian project, there had previously been uncertainty on whether the day would ever come.

In March 2024, Rivian announced it would be suspending construction efforts in Georgia in order to save nearly $2.25 billion. The first line of the R2 and R3 vehicles will instead be manufactured in Normal, Ill. in 2026.

However, just eight months later, Rivian announced it had received a conditional commitment loan for up to $6.6 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing. The loan was officially confirmed in January, just days before President Joe Biden left office.

There has been speculation that current President Donald Trump and his administration may attempt to take back the loan. However, there has been no official indication that might occur.

Additionally, there have been local concerns from citizens about the environmental impact of the Rivian project as well as the overall necessity of the project in the first place.

Scaringe told The Covington News in a press conference shortly after the ceremony that there were no additional environmental concerns outside of what he already was aware of, or what was already addressed.

“One of the beautiful things about this site is sustainability is really at the core of how we approached this,” Scaringe said. “We were able to use what was here already as terms of the dirt pad in the middle for the main site, and we moved dirt that was on the site. We didn’t have to dig dirt out and we didn’t have to bring dirt in.

“This was something that worked with the State that we were really proud of… it’s a zero-fill site, and that really made the process a lot more sustainable.

As for how locals in the area may perceive the project, Scaringe told The News that he hopes that those in opposition or on the fence about it can see the potential long-term effects of the project.

“I’m really confident in the fullness of time that folks will see what we’re doing in making sure we’re a part of the community,” Scaringe said. “As the governor said, making sure we’re working closely across multiple groups, local and state level, to ensure that we’re contributing to the community and also really building this vibrant economic center.”

Kemp added to Scaringe’s comments, claiming that this project was indeed supported by the “vast majority of people.”

“Long before I became governor, there was a billboard in this community advertising the east-metro or east-Atlanta megasite,” Kemp said. “So this is something that this community supported way before we started talking to Rivian. This is where it started with the locals… We don’t come in and say, ‘Hey we’re gonna put a plant here.’ We have the local community that comes to us and say, ‘Hey we have interest in this site,’ which is one of the megasites we worked with the locals on.

“The vast majority of people support this project. Those that don’t, I think at the end of the day they’ll see the benefits of the opportunities that they’re going to see for their children and their grandchildren for the next several decades.”