GREEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A judge has ordered a Michigan community to stop blocking efforts to bring a major electric vehicle battery business to a rural region.

Gotion, a China-based manufacturer, was granted a preliminary injunction Friday after arguing that Mecosta County’s Green Township has refused to stick to an agreement made by elected officials who were subsequently removed from office.

Despite that recall last November, a deal still is a deal, Gotion said.

Gotion “has already invested over $24 million into the project by way of real estate acquisition costs and other related fees,” U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering said.

She ordered the township to comply with a previously approved development agreement while the case remains in court.

The company plans to make components for electric vehicle batteries, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Grand Rapids. The project, valued at more than $2 billion, could bring thousands of jobs.