BlueOval SK announces over 1,000 layoffs at Kentucky plant
In a video provided to the Courier Journal, BlueOvalSK CEO Michael Adams announced the “end of all positions” at the Glendale plant, which employed over 1,000.
Ford Motor Co. will invest an additional $2 billion into the former site of BlueOval SK Battery Park in Glendale, creating more than 2,000 jobs focused on manufacturing energy storage systems, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Team Kentucky Update April 30.
After agreeing to updated terms with the commonwealth of Kentucky, the company will move forward with the project after a “little more time,” Beshear said.
Late in 2025, Ford announced that South Korean conglomerate SK On would no longer be partnering with the company on a $5.8 billion BlueOval SK Battery Park in Glendale. More than 1,500 workers at the sprawling factory were notified of their termination after just a few months of production, according to previous reporting, leading to a lawsuit filed early 2026.
“Over the past several weeks, we have worked back and forth and we have received agreement that Ford would assume all the obligations under the original transaction,” Beshear said.
In addition to creating “at least” 2,100 jobs, he said Ford also took a loan agreement to create 5,000 jobs for Kentuckians in the long term. If the quota is not reached, the company will have to pay back the commonwealth. Ford will also work with to support the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College training center in Glendale.
“It is great news for Ford. It’s great news for Hardin County,” Beshear said. “It’s going to take a little longer to get here, but listen: When you’ve got adversity, you gotta work through it to get the best result you can.”
Olivia Evans contributed to this report.
