Bill Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Tennessee Valley Authority, speaks Wednesday about the certification of 1,252 acres of Limestone County farmland as a TVA mega site. Behind Johnson from left are Joe Ritch, chairman of the TVA board of directors; Ed Castille, director of Alabama Industrial Development Training; Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle; and Limestone County Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough.

Multiple news outlets are reporting that “unnamed sources” have confirmed Toyota and Mazda will build a joint production facility in Huntsville-annexed Limestone County.

The location of the plant had come down to Alabama and North Carolina. The Charlotte News & Observer reported late Tuesday the decision was set to be made public Wednesday.

“The N&O learned of the decision through two sources familiar with the project,” the paper reported.

If the reports prove true, the plant would be constructed on the 1,500-acre Tennessee Valley Authority-certified megasite in southeastern Limestone County.

The estimated $1.6-billion plant could bring an estimated 4,000 jobs to the state. Toyota and Mazda had reportedly sought $1 billion in incentives for the deal.

Regional officials who would — under normal circumstances — be involved in negotiating such a large-scale project, simply said “no comment” Tuesday. The Limestone County Commission recently moved Wednesday’s regularly scheduled work session from 10 a.m. to 8 a.m.

One of the discussion items is a proposed tax abatement for an industrial project.

Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough said late Tuesday he could not comment on the status of the project. Others also preferred not to say anything, including Limestone County Economic Development President Tom Hill and an official with the city of Huntsville.

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks also said he could not comment on active economic development projects but added the city is working on several that have the potential to be “life-changers.”

At least one state official who may be aware of the status of the project was a little more telling. State Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, retweeted an early news report with the comment, “Well, looks like the cat is out of the bag on this one!”

On Thursday, the Huntsville City Council is set to hear details about a seventh tax increment financing district, or TIF, that would include about 5,200 acres in Huntsville-annexed Limestone County, including the 1,500-acre megasite. The TIF would allow Huntsville to issue bonds to fund a number of infrastructure improvements. Those bonds are repaid through property tax revenue collected off increased property values.

That specific area has already been a hotbed of industrial growth in recent years, with Polaris and GE Aviation being examples. In November, BOCAR announced it would build a Tier-1 advanced manufacturing facility on the north side of Bibb Garrett Road, directly across from the Southpoint Industrial Park.

BOCAR manufactures die-cast aluminum parts for a number of auto manufacturers, including Honda, General Motors, Daimler, BMW, Ford Motor Company and Toyota. BOCAR officials said they would invest $115 million into Huntsville-annexed Limestone and hire up to 300 workers.