Samsung eyes Illinois for EV battery plant?

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin reportedly said in a press conference that there were discussions to bring in a 'major Samsung battery facility'. While the decision has not been finalised, according to the Illinois senator, a location next to electric-vehicle start-up Rivian seems to be beneficial. Back in April 2021, Rivian announced that it had partnered with Samsung SDI as its battery cell supplier. Following several media reports, Samsung SDI said it had a meeting with Illinois State government officials, but did not confirm any details on a potential factory there. The Korean Herald reports as follows: "As we have said in the second quarter conference call, the company is reviewing plans to expand our EV battery manufacturing line to the United States. The meeting (reported in the media) was part of our location search. We regret being unable to provide further details on the matter."