CIGSSe photovoltaic module manufacturer Stion said it will build a new production facility in Mississippi as part of an incentive agreement with the state that includes a $75 million loan and other tax and training incentives. The project, which will be the first thin-film solar panel factory in Mississippi, will deliver more than 1000 jobs and $500 million of investment over the next six years.
The first phase of the project features a 100MW line planned for Hattiesburg, which will include more than $100 million of investment and 200 direct jobs in 2011 and 2012, according to Stion.
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“Together, the state of Mississippi, Forrest County, and the city of Hattiesburg offer a business-friendly location with a strong resource base for manufacturing,” said Chet Farris, president and CEO of Stion. “In partnering with them, we are pleased to help address this country’s energy needs with clean technology, and support the region’s and the nation’s economy.”
“Our expansion in Hattiesburg is an integral part of our capital-efficient scale-up plan,” he added. “The cost and time-to-market advantage of building here will provide a significant competitive advantage.”
In June 2010, Stion closed a $70M Series D financing to help scale production, which included a partnership with leading semiconductor foundry, TSMC. The company's initial manufacturing and R&D facilities are located at its headquarters in San Jose.
The company's current product line features monolithically integrated, 65cm x 165cm glass-glass, copper-indium-gallium-sulfide-(di)selenide modules, with 11%+ conversion efficiencies and power ratings of 110-120W.
Stion is not the first solar manufacturer to announce its intentions to site a factory in Mississippi. Crystalline-silicon module company Twin Creeks Technologies said in April 2010 that it planned to build a PV panel-making facility in Senatobia, MS.
For more on Stion's decision to build its factory in Mississippi, see the Chip Shots blog elsewhere on PV-Tech.
