5 Jaw-Droppingly Massive Factories and Power Plants

There’s a corner of social media where people love watching stuff get produced in factories. Last year, 24 million people watched time-lapse footage of an Airbus being assembled while another 17 million sat through a video of Kit Kats being made.

Weird as it may sound, many of us are clearly fascinated by large-scale industrial processes. So when plans for a massive new factory or power plant are announced, people get excited by the sheer scale, resources and costs involved.

In this article, we look at five mega projects underway in 2022. What are they, where are they, and how much is the build set to cost? Read on to find out…

Audi FAW New Energy Vehicle Manufacturing Plant, Changchun

Car manufacturer Audi is building a massive electric vehicle factory in China’s Jilin province, in collaboration with the state-owned FAW Group. Set to cost around $5 billion, the plant is expected to open in 2024 and will have the capacity to produce more than 150,000 battery-operated cars every year. Let’s hope the local roads are ready for all that extra traffic.

Samsung Semiconductor Factory, Austin

Semiconductor chips have been big news over the last year. A global shortage has slowed the manufacture of cars and electronic devices, and in response, the US government has been keen to invest heavily in computer chip manufacturing and research.

Last November, Samsung announced plans to build a $17bn factory near Austin, Texas, representing the South Korean company’s biggest US investment — and the largest direct foreign investment in Texas history.

The 6 million-square-foot facility will be built on 1,700 acres of land, create more than 2,000 tech jobs, and will no doubt produce A LOT of semiconductor chips.

Australia-Asia Power Link, Darwin

This scheme is set to smash all kinds of records. Set to be completed in 2027, the AA PowerLink project will see the world’s largest solar plant and the world’s largest battery built in Australia’s Northern Territory, with the world’s longest submarine power cable exporting the electricity produced to Singapore and Indonesia. It’s costing $19 billion and will create more than 12,000 new jobs across the three countries.

Intel Semiconductor Project, Columbus

Samsung’s isn’t the only new chip plant under construction in America — Intel is investing $20 billion into two new factories near Columbus, Ohio. The project broke ground earlier this year, with 7,000 construction workers working around the clock over the next two years to deliver the facility, which is built over 1,000 acres.

Plant Vogtle – Units 3 & 4, Waynesboro

This $30 billion project in Georgia will become the largest nuclear power plant in the USA. Plant Voglte is already a massive energy supplier, but once the two new units are completed the facility will be able to power more than 500,000 homes and businesses with zero emissions.

Of course, industrial machinery and power generators make a lot of noise. Wiltech Acoustics helps to mitigate that with specialist solutions that protect people and the environment. Contact us to find out more.