A building that will house 350 new jobs is taking shape in the Augusta Corporate Park off Mike Padgett Highway.
GF Casting Solutions will produce lightweight components made from aluminum, iron, and other metals for the mobility and energy industries.
Situated across Valencia Way from Aurubis Richmond, LLC, GF Casting will be the third major employer to open in the park, along with Starbucks.
The 1,800-acre park in South Augusta is essentially full, with one more site being prepared for future use.
“The site at the end (of Valencia Way), we graded, cleared, and grubbed 50 acres, looking to put another company there,” Cal Wray, President of Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA), told ABD. “The rail construction started last week. They’re beginning to put the culverts in, and it’ll start the switch coming off the main line next year.”
Alongside the Aurubis facility, Linde Gas, based in the United Kingdom, built a $25 million air separation unit. Linde provides the specialty gases needed in the Aurubis smelting operation. Wray said that the Linde facility may also provide services for GF Casting.
Still to come is PureCycle Technologies. First announced in 2021, the plant will turn No. 5 plastic waste into materials to reuse in products such as yogurt cups and plastic containers. The $440 million investment will create just under 100 jobs.
“PureCycle should begin construction over the next two years,” said Wray. “They’re doing a redesign of their facility, redoing their supply chain to build their facility in the park, and then we will continue to clear grub, begin grading sites to get more locations. But we’re running out of property, which is why the sewer project in South Augusta is so important.”
Wray is referring to the $25 million request AEDA asked the Augusta-Richmond County Commission to include on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) 9 list. It will be used to extend residential, commercial, and industrial sewer capacity through South Augusta.
Wray said extending the service is vital in order for his office to finalize the so-called McCombs Road mega site at the Richmond and Burke County line. That 1,100-acre site is envisioned as a major development opportunity for a single tenant.
“Sewer being the big question right now,” he said. “What is limiting what we can put on that site right now is the lack of sewer. (We’ve had) Lots of looks on the site, but sewer is the big risk, the big concern. When you say you have got to run sewer four miles and it’s going to take 30 to 36 months, it’s a big risk for companies. If we can’t get sewer to the mega site. It brings a whole other challenge to have future industrial growth here.”
Commissioners and Administrator Tameka Allen continue revising the SPLOST 9 list that will be put before residents for a vote. The most recent list of tentative projects still includes the full $25 million for the sewer project. The final list is expected to be ready for the May 2026 ballot.
