BP Solar Breaks Ground on Manufacturing Facility (Maryland)

[jpak]

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNAMA88.htm

BP Solar and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley breaks ground today on what is now a $97 million expansion project that will further bolster the company's existing facility output of solar energy products. Already the largest fully integrated solar plant in North America, the plan is to nearly double the current casting and sizing capacity to approximately 150 MW and will create approximately 70 new jobs.

Exactly nine months ago, the company announced it would invest $70 million in the project. That figure has now been increased to $97 million, which will allow for space to further enlarge its manufacturing capacity to 400+ MW in its casting, sizing, and wafering processes.

Construction is slated for completion by the end of 2009.

"Expanding our Frederick plant ensures that BP Solar stays at the forefront of the global solar industry by meeting demand, providing innovative products to our current customer base, and allowing us to enter new markets," said Lee Edwards, BP Solar CEO. "We recognize that in order to do business in the long term we must respect the broader needs of communities where we operate and be good corporate citizens. So, to complement our expansion plans, we will integrate sustainable building techniques such as a roof garden, bio- retention, extensive water recycling and the implementation of LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) design components such as energy efficient lighting, cooling and heating."

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[kestrel91316]

1. An actual manufacturing plant? In the US???

I give them 5 years before they close the plant to outsource the manufacturing to India or China. This is just a PR stunt, AFAIAC.