American Battery Factory Update: Tucson Gigafactory Site Work Begins, Full Production Now Expected in 2028
TUCSON, AZ — The battery plant planned for Pima County's Aerospace Research Campus is finally moving dirt, but the jobs are further out than earlier timelines suggested. American Battery Factory now expects to finish construction and reach full-scale production in 2028, according to an October 6 update to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. For Tucson job seekers, that makes the gigafactory a long-range opportunity rather than a place to apply this winter.
Road work and survey staking this fall, full-site clearing expected in January 2027, and a first phase now budgeted at $525 million to $535 million on the south side.
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📍 American Battery Factory in Tucson at a Glance
| Company | American Battery Factory (ABF), based in Utah |
|---|---|
| Site | Pima County Aerospace Research Campus, south side of Tucson |
| Product | Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells for energy storage |
| First phase cost | $525 million to $535 million, including about $450 million in debt financing |
| Construction | Site work underway; full-site clearing expected January 2027 |
| Full production | Expected in 2028 |
| Projected jobs | Up to 1,000 at full build-out (company and county projection) |
| Also on site | ABF's national headquarters and a research facility |
Where the Battery Factory Project Stands
Pima County and ABF first signed their agreement in December 2022, and the Board of Supervisors amended it in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to adjust construction timing. The October 6 memo from the county administrator, which attached a letter from ABF president John Kem, lays out where things stand now.
The money is the big piece. ABF puts the first phase at $525 million to $535 million, with about $450 million of that coming as debt. Two firms had each made formal offers to finance the full debt portion, more offers were expected, and ABF said it planned to pick a lender within the month. The company also says buyers are lined up for the plant's output. Earlier this year it announced long-term purchase agreements covering about 4.5 gigawatt-hours of its planned 5.5 gigawatt-hours of initial capacity.
Construction Timeline: Dirt Now, Factory Later
Borderland Construction, a Tucson firm, built the highway access ramp in late July and holds the contract for the main on-site road. Survey marking and signage were scheduled for October, and erosion-control work goes in during that phase. ABF's letter says Borderland's heavy-equipment clearing crew isn't available until around November 20, so expect the road work to run into late fall.
Clearing and grubbing of the full site is expected to start in January 2027, pending more approvals from Pima County and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. ABF says it's still on track to finish construction in 2028, with full-scale production that same year. The first phase is meant to anchor a larger complex the company values at about $2 billion.
That's a slip from where the project stood a few years ago. When ABF broke ground in October 2023, the Arizona Commerce Authority said the headquarters, research center and first factory module were expected by 2025. Big plants that depend on outside financing often move like this, which is why the honest advice is to plan for this employer, not count on it.
How Many Jobs, and When
When ABF picked Tucson in 2022, the projection was about 300 jobs in the first phase, growing to about 1,000 as the complex builds out. The county was still citing "up to 1,000 jobs" this June. Those are projections, and no hiring schedule or pay ranges have been announced. ABF is not posting factory jobs in Tucson yet.
The nearer-term work is construction. Road building, clearing and, later, the factory itself will keep heavy-equipment operators, laborers and building trades busy well before the first battery cell comes off the line. Those jobs come through the contractors, not ABF.
What It Means for Tucson Job Seekers
If a battery plant job in 2028 sounds good, the next two years are your runway. Advanced manufacturing plants hire for skills you can build now at other Tucson employers. These are the kinds of roles a cell factory typically needs. They're anticipated, not posted:
- Production and machine operators: running automated lines. Machine operator career guide
- Process technicians: keeping production within spec. Process technician careers
- Industrial maintenance technicians: keeping equipment and robotics running. Industrial maintenance technician careers
- Quality inspectors and quality engineers: testing cells and documenting results. Quality inspector careers and quality engineer careers
- Manufacturing and electrical engineers: designing and improving the lines. Manufacturing engineer careers and electrical engineer careers
- Warehouse and materials: moving raw materials and finished cells. Forklift operator careers
- Construction, starting now: site work and building trades through the contractors. Construction laborer careers
ABF has said little about training plans, but Kem has been involved in local workforce efforts, including work with Pima Community College's FIT Lab, according to KVOA. Pima's advanced manufacturing programs are a reasonable place to start if you want a credential before the plant opens.
More South Side Manufacturing News
ABF's neighbors are hiring sooner. Raytheon's Tucson production workers just ratified a contract with 24% average raises over five years, and Albers Aerospace is adding 24 manufacturing jobs near Palo Verde and Valencia. If you want a paid route into the trades, Apprenticeship Access Day on Nov. 4 puts more than 10 programs in one room.
🔎 Search Jobs Now
- American Battery Factory jobs in Tucson
- Production operator jobs in Tucson
- Maintenance technician jobs in Tucson
- Process technician jobs in Tucson
- Quality inspector jobs in Tucson
- Manufacturing engineer jobs in Tucson
- Heavy equipment operator jobs in Tucson
- Manufacturing jobs in Tucson
Browse the manufacturing careers and construction careers guides in the TucsonHIRED Career Center for role-by-role pay and training details.
Want to know when the battery plant starts hiring? Create a free TucsonHIRED account and set job alerts for production, maintenance and manufacturing roles.
📢 Employers: Building a Manufacturing Team?
Tucson's manufacturers are competing for the same operators, technicians and engineers, and more plants are coming. Post your openings on TucsonHIRED and reach local manufacturing candidates directly.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the American Battery Factory plant in Tucson?
It's being built at Pima County's Aerospace Research Campus on Tucson's south side. The site will also hold ABF's national headquarters and a research facility.
When will the American Battery Factory open?
ABF told Pima County in October 2026 that it expects to finish construction and reach full-scale production in 2028. Clearing of the full site is expected to begin in January 2027, pending county and state approvals.
How many jobs will the battery factory create?
The company and county have projected up to 1,000 jobs at full build-out. The 2022 announcement projected about 300 jobs in the first phase. No hiring schedule has been announced.
Is American Battery Factory hiring in Tucson now?
Not for factory positions. Current work on the site is road building and site preparation by contractors. Set a TucsonHIRED job alert to see factory openings when they post.
What will the Tucson plant make?
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells, used mainly in energy storage systems.
How much will the project cost?
ABF puts the first phase at $525 million to $535 million, including about $450 million in debt financing. The company describes it as the foundation of a complex of about $2 billion.
Out past the airport, where the south side gives way to open desert, the bulldozers are finally rolling. The factory jobs are still a couple of years away, which is enough time to train for one.
