Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), one of the world’s largest PV solar manufacturers, announced that the company’s first U.S. manufacturing plant will be located in the City of Goodyear, Arizona.
Manufacturing is scheduled to begin in September 2010.
The Suntech Goodyear factory will initially employ more than 70 local residents and is designed as a showcase for the company’s latest-generation solar electricity manufacturing technologies and equipment. It will begin with a production capacity of 30 megawatts (MW) and has the potential to expand to over 120 MW.
As the first China-based cleantech company to bring manufacturing jobs to the United States, Suntech said it carefully reviewed communities across the country to find the best possible location for its first domestic plant. Suntech selected Goodyear based on several factors, including the State of Arizona’s progressive renewable energy standards and solar policies for both utility-scale and rooftop installations, the Greater Phoenix Area’s supportive business climate, and the availability of local manufacturing-ready facilities.
"I am pleased to welcome Suntech to Arizona, and commend the company for choosing Goodyear as the site for its solar manufacturing operation," said Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. "I am very serious about establishing Arizona as a leader in the renewable energy jobs–we offer a strategic location with a highly skilled workforce, low payroll taxes, and, now, the right incentive program to make business sense."
Suntech’s Goodyear plant will serve as a showcase for the company’s latest solar electricity manufacturing technologies, facilitating collaboration with similar efforts ongoing at nearby Arizona State University. Plans also include constructing solar parking structures on the site that will generate electricity for use in the plant as well as provide shaded parking for employees.
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