Tall order: LS Greenlink pouring $1.3B into Chesapeake

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]The skyline of Chesapeake is about to change in a big way. The city will soon host the tallest structure in the entire Commonwealth and beyond.

[00:00:08]>> Yeah, typical skyscrapers use their upper reaches for office, residential, or restaurant space. No one will be living in this building, but as Chris Horn explains, it will offer an unparalleled view. Chris, >> see for miles. Um, this is a story that's several miles long. That's how long the undersea cables at Korean-based LS Green Link will be making there. If it's a little confusing why you need a tall building for that process, well, hang in there.

[00:00:40]For now, only workers are buzzing around the base of the LS Green Link Tower.

[00:00:45]When it's complete, only birds will be able to buzz around the top. See this crane?

[00:00:51]>> The crane right now is ascending at 220 ft. The tower [music] is going to be 660. When the tower is completed, it will be three times the height of the crane.

[00:01:00]>> So [snorts] that will make it not only the tallest building in Virginia, >> but between Philadelphia and Charlotte.

[00:01:04]>> Here's a slice of what LS will be making. The copper core is the key, and it's the reason why the cable must be hung vertically.

[00:01:12]>> In order to center the core of these long cables that can be up to tens of miles long, we use gravity to to manufacture the cable. And the gravity would be um how we center the core of the cable.

[00:01:26]>> The company scanned several other locations before choosing Virginia >> and everything from you know New York all the way down to Georgia. [snorts] >> But LS Green Link connected best with Hampton Roads.

[00:01:37]>> Access to great workforce which is veterans. They are usually very dependable. They they show up to work.

[00:01:42]We needed access to water. The region also has a very vibrant maritime industry >> and the company didn't have to cut through much bureaucracy.

[00:01:52]>> Everything from governor's office to VDP which is the state's economic development organization. So Hampton Rosa Alliance was a significant help on our process >> 750,000 square ft.

[00:02:05]>> There's about 13 football fields under one roof >> with a workforce of 330 >> people that are fresh out of high school. Uh it can be also people with PhDs uh within engineering. So it can be all levels of jobs.

[00:02:18]>> High at top the tallest building will be a community room where from the 60story perch you'll be able to see the ocean from 20 m away. But LS had to be careful about what else you could see.

[00:02:31]>> There are military operations nearby.

[00:02:33]There are some sensitive things that we couldn't have our visitors see. Now we we will have the windows facing only one side because of our uh agreement with the Navy, but even that view will be very beautiful.

[00:02:47]>> Now, Chesapeake City Council is considering a proposal this evening to seek federal grant money to help LS Green Link build the necessary peers that it needs on the Elizabeth River.

[00:02:57]The company is already planning a second phase, also slated for Chesapeake. It will include copper recycling and the manufacturer of motor parts. Put them together, total investment between the two, more than $1.3 billion.