According to Maryland’s local Gazette newspaper, BP Solar’s $97 million project in Frederick, Maryland has come to a standstill. The incomplete manufacturing building that cost close to $30 million will be completed, and will, according to the news story, be used as an office space as the company has two other leased offices in Frederick. It has also been reported that the company has decided against spending $67 million on equipment that would have allowed production expansion to go ahead.
The expansion was expected to create 70 new jobs in the facility, but has been called off due to an increasingly competitive market, according to company spokesman Tom Mueller.
“We anticipate continuing on with manufacturing there; we’re just not going to finish up the expansion project,” Mueller said. “We’re trying to position the plant to be competitive in the future and the competition globally has become very intense in the last few years. It just doesn’t make sense to go forward with this expansion.”
By Síle Mc Mahon
