The sun continues to shine on Western New York, as another huge solar panel manufacturing plant was announced by Gov. Cuomo that is expected to employ 600 people at the Western New York Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) in the town of Alabama. This represents New York’s second large solar manufacturing project, right behind Buffalo’s SolarCity plant currently under construction.
The new factory, which will be owned by 1366 Technologies of New Bedford, Mass., will produce “Direct Wafer” solar panels initially at a rate of a million per week. Production is expected to grow over time, boosting output and eventually leading to the hiring of an additional 400 workers. Construction on the new Genesee plant is slated to begin in the second quarter of 2016, assuming the local infrastructure is in place.
If all goes according to schedule, the new plant will begin production sometime in mid-2017. 1366 Technologies will continue to keep its headquarters in Massachusetts, and will treat the new facility as a satellite manufacturing center.
1366 Technologies brings to market a technology which they tout as reducing the production cost of solar wafers by 50% through the vertical integration of manufacturing processes.
In return for agreeing to locate in WNY, the company will receive $97 million in tax incentives over a 10 year term, along with discounted electrical power. The benefits are contingent on the plant reaching agreed-upon employment levels. For its part, 1366 Technologies is investing $700 million of its own money for the 130,000 square foot manufacturing facility.
Cuomo defended the subsidies as critical to competing in an increasingly competitive market, as other counties, states and regions compete for these sought-after projects. Readers may recall that Buffalo’s SolarCity plant, currently under construction, was the recipient of over $75 million in subsidies.
While this project is distinct from Cuomo’s Buffalo Billions program, the Genesee County industrial park was the recipient of around $33 million for infrastructure upgrades. STAMP was created by the Genesee County Economic Development Center as a 1,250 acre industrial park targeting high-tech and advanced manufacturing companies. The hope is that this new facility will act as a draw to similar firms looking to expand advanced manufacturing operations.