The LEGO Group yesterday revealed plans for a massive solar park at its U.S. factory, LEGO Manufacturing Virginia. The Chesterfield project will begin this summer and include more than 30,700 solar panels with a total capacity of 22 MWp installed across 80 acres, as well as 10,800 solar panels (6.11 MWp) installed atop company buildings. The move will significantly expand LEGO's on-site renewable capacity in Virginia and marks a significant step towards its ambition of sourcing 100% renewable energy for the facility’s annual needs.
The LEGO Group has quickly become a pillar of the local economy, with more than 500 employees currently working at its $1 billion factory, which remains under construction, and at its temporary packing facility. The company broke ground in Virginia in early 2023 and expects to nearly double its workforce to some 900 by the end of 2026. The sharp increase is to prepare for operations to come online at the state-of-the-art, highly automated molding and packing machinery. Fun fact: Did you know LEGO manufactures its bricks within 1/10th of a hair’s width precision?
Construction is progressing on schedule following the factory’s steel topping out (placing the final, highest beam) in October 2025. The site’s office space, constructed from mass timber, is on track to be topped out later this spring. Mass timber is a renewable resource that sequesters carbon rather than releasing it.
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LEGO's investment in Virginia will eclipse $1.5 billion and include the factory as well as a regional distribution center that broke ground late last year. The entire footprint will occupy some 340 acres (that's 260 football fields in case that’s your preferred metric).
LEGO is erecting 13 buildings totaling approximately 1.7 million square feet, including office spaces, molding and packing buildings, an energy center, and a high-bay automated warehouse. Over the next 10 years, the company anticipates creating more than 1,700 jobs.
The LEGO Group is building a 1.7 million-square-foot precision production facility in Chesterfield, Virginia.©2026 The LEGO Group
The aim is to secure LEED Platinum certification for the building, including energy, water and waste. The new factory, like all LEGO operations, plans to achieve zero waste from factories to landfill—almost all waste is either reused, recycled, composted or sent to non-landfill waste-treatment options.
Finally, LEGO recently announced continued support for local communities in the Greater Richmond area, committing more than $1.3 million in grants to eight nonprofit organizations. Since 2022, the LEGO Group has provided more than $3.5 million in grants, funded by the LEGO Foundation, with the aim of bringing more play opportunities to kids in the region.
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