ATLANTA (AP) — A pharmaceutical company plans to build a manufacturing plant and related facilities in Georgia, employing about 1,500 people across the state, Gov. Nathan Deal said.

The plant will be located in the Covington area, southeast of Atlanta, Baxter International Inc. said in a quarterly financial report early Thursday.

Construction of the Georgia plant will begin later this year, with commercial production is scheduled to begin in 2018, the company said in the report.

The Georgia operation will include warehouse and distribution facilities, Deal said in a statement. He said it will involve the manufacturing of plasma-based therapies that treat chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

The company's plans in Georgia represent an investment of more than $1 billion, Deal said.

"Baxter's decision to come to Georgia marks a new era in the growth of our biosciences industry and will have far-reaching impact on our economy," Deal said.

Baxter also intends to locate "plasma centers" in communities around the state, Deal said in the statement. It did not specify where those centers would be or what they would involve.

In total, the developments announced Thursday will lead to the creation of more than 2,000 jobs in multiple U.S. locations, the company said in a news release.

In connection with the Georgia investment, the company expects to create more than 200 new positions in Illinois, which involves an existing facility in Round Lake, Ill., company executives said.

"This investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to patients around the world who rely on our plasma-based therapies," said Robert L. Parkinson, Jr., Baxter's chairman and chief executive officer.