NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WCMH) — As construction crews clear the land for and pour the foundation of a multibillion-dollar semiconductor fabrication plant in New Albany that is depending on government funding, NBC4 Investigates learned that a year-and-a-half after Intel’s project was announced, government funding has yet to be disbursed.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced in a crowded Newark theatre in January 2022 that Ohio had beat out competing states to house Intel’s largest factory yet.

Part of that announcement included more than $1 billion in eventual incentives and tax breaks for Intel. State officials, however, were adamant the reason Ohio was chosen went beyond the $600 million in grants and $690 million in infrastructure investments.

The incentive package announced that day was part of a pending onshoring agreement between the state and Intel. But that onshoring agreement still has not been finalized, according to an Ohio Department of Development spokesperson, who has not responded to additional questions about the timeline of the onshoring agreement and disbursement of funding.

Intel will also rely heavily on funding from the $54 billion CHIPS and Science Act for its mega-project in New Albany. The tech behemoth held its summer 2022 groundbreaking for the plant until after President Joe Biden signed the bill into law.

Adrienne Elrod, director of external and government affairs for Washington’s newly-formed CHIPS Program Office, said in an interview that implementation of the CHIPS Act is “moving — especially for government — at lightning speed.”

“As far as we’re concerned, the deadline is ASAP,” Elrod said. “We don’t have any time to waste here, and what we want to make sure does not happen is that we have a long construction process for some of these (fabrication plants).”

The program announced its first chance for funding in February. Since then, the office has already received roughly 300 statements of interest from applicants, Elrod said. Additional funding opportunities will be announced in late June, but Elrod said no funding decisions have been made so far.

“National and economic security are at the top of that pyramid in terms of what we’re looking for,” Elrod said. “If we’re going to be giving money away to some of these companies, we have to make sure that they can actually fill those jobs.”

NBC4 reported earlier this year that a requirement for companies — like Intel — seeking more than $150 million in CHIPS Act funding is access to childcare for workers. Licking County is considered by government standards to be in a “childcare desert.”

Elrod would not comment on Intel’s situation in particular, but emphasized the importance of reducing barriers for people looking to fill the thousands of jobs Intel promised to bring to central Ohio.

Intel did not respond to questions about its progress on the project and funding for this story.