Eli Lilly Breaks Ground on $6.5B Plant at Generation Park

Eli Lilly broke ground on September 21 on a $6.5 billion manufacturing campus at Generation Park in northeast Houston, a year after announcing the project. The 236-acre site is part of Lilly’s broader $50 billion push to expand U.S. manufacturing.

What will be made there

The plant will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients, including Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly’s first oral GLP-1 medicine, along with other small-molecule medicines and advanced therapies. Governor Greg Abbott called it the largest active pharmaceutical ingredient project in Texas history.

Jobs and training

Lilly expects more than 600 high-wage permanent jobs once the plant is running and about 4,000 jobs during construction. Completion is targeted for 2030. The company is giving San Jacinto College, which also has a campus at Generation Park, $12.5 million to build a chemical manufacturing career program that requires no prior experience, plus $2.5 million for scholarships.

A pharma hub takes shape

Lilly will not be alone. Bristol Myers Squibb announced a $2.3 billion campus at Generation Park in August, which means more than $8.8 billion of pharmaceutical investment is now committed to the same corner of Harris County.