Construction is now underway on a $4.5 billion manufacturing facility for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in Albemarle County, which promises to bring some 600 jobs to Central Virginia.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Trump administration officials, county leaders and AstraZeneca’s CEO broke ground on the plant Thursday.

“This isn’t just an economic development announcement,” Youngkin said at the ground-breaking. “This is a transformational moment for Albemarle County, for the greater Charlottesville area, for the commonwealth of Virginia and for the nation.”

In addition to the 600 people who will run the plant once it is operational — which is expected by 2030 as part of a promised $50 billion investment United Kingdom-based AstraZeneca is making in the U.S. — construction on the facility will r

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