CHESAPEAKE, Va. — About a year after the groundbreaking for what will be the tallest building in Virginia, part of that building could be seen Monday.
Company and local, state, and federal leaders gathered at the LS Greenlink construction site for a ceremony to mark the construction milestone.
“It’s an exciting day for the commonwealth, for the larger Hampton Roads region, and for Chesapeake," said Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
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The 660-foot tall tower taking shape along the Elizabeth River is something Spanberger said should be celebrated, calling it a visible point of pride for the greater region.
“That when we are looking towards a future of continued innovation and manufacturing, that right here in Chesapeake that work is happening," Spanberger said.
News 3 was on site in 2025 when the ground was broken for the facility that will make underwater power cables. As of Monday, work was on schedule according to the company.
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“This is an important milestone. But more importantly, it is a moment of accountability. When we first announced this project in 2024, we made a clear commitment: to invest in Virginia, to build advanced manufacturing capacity, and to modernize critical energy infrastructure while strengthening the U.S. supply chain," said LS Cable & System President & CEO Bon-Kyu Koo. "Today, we are doing exactly what we promised and we are going to be doing more.”
That work hasn’t been without challenges, though. LS Greenlink Managing Director Patrick Shim said tariffs have had an impact. He explained some of the equipment and construction materials have had to be shipped in from other countries.
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“We are, in a way, getting penalized for doing the work we promised to do," said Shim. "But we are working with all levels of government to try to find solutions for those.”
Along with the tower, there will be a building 13 football fields long and large carousels to feed the cables from the facility onto ships in the river to take them where they need to go.
As of Monday, the company expected the project to be complete by the end of 2027.
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