Since 2020, more than 35 EV-related projects have announced over $21 billion in investment and 26,700 jobs in Georgia. In October, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America officially broke ground in neighboring Bryan County on its first fully dedicated EV and battery manufacturing facility. In addition to Hyundai’s direct contributions to the region, offsite suppliers have already exceeded the $1 billion in investment predicted from other locations connected to the project around the state by more than $600 million.
Georgia Ports Expand Refrigerated Container Capacity
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is increasing chilled cargo capacity to stay ahead of anticipated growth in demand. Private chilled and frozen warehouse space in Savannah is set to grow by 11 percent in 2023 to more than 2.2 million square feet.
“Expansion among our cold storage partners in the Savannah market will drive greater volumes of chilled cargo crossing our docks,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “While the Port of Savannah already accommodates the most refrigerated containers on the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts, enhancing our on-terminal capacity will better support the jobs and opportunity sparked by private investment.”
The GPA board has approved construction of seven additional refrigerated container racks at the Port of Savannah. The $6.2 million project will grow the number of slots for cold cargo to 3,506 at Garden City Terminal, counting chassis plug-ins. Savannah’s Ocean Terminal provides another 368 refrigerated container plugs.
Chilled and frozen products handled at the Port of Savannah range from proteins such as poultry and seafood to blueberries, avocados, citrus, stone fruits and onions, among other commodities. GPA’s fastest growing cold chain exports in 2022 were poultry, beef, fish fillets, candy and frozen vegetables. Top performing chilled imports were grapes, vegetables, fish fillets, potatoes and candy.
“Serving the U.S. Southeast via Savannah reduces overland transportation costs to vital markets such as Atlanta, and ensures perishable goods reach customers faster and fresher,” said GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten. “The growing population of our region, combined with expansions in port and private infrastructure are strengthening Savannah’s position as a perishable supply chain gateway.”
Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 561,000 jobs throughout the state annually, and contribute $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy.
