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PRESS RELEASE: Solaicx Announces Major New
Solar Facility in Portland - Oregon Governor
Commends Company for Creating Jobs, Renewable Energy
Santa Clara, Calif. - June 12, 2007 - Solaicx, a leading
manufacturer of mono-crystalline silicon ingots and
wafers optimized for photovoltaic applications, today
announced it has selected a new facility for silicon
manufacturing in the City of Portland, Ore. The signing
of a lease for the 136,000-square-foot facility, located
in the Portland Rivergate Industrial District, represents
a major milestone for the company and follows a successful
financing round lead by the D.E. Shaw Group. A formal
plant opening and ribbon-cutting event will take place
later this year.
“I am pleased that Solaicx will be locating its
new facility in Oregon, creating good paying jobs and
adding to our first-rate-high-tech cluster,” said
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. “Solaicx’s
announcement confirms that Oregon, with our commitment
to sustainability, skilled workforce and prime location,
is on track to become the national leader in renewable
energy.”
The plant, which will have an initial run-rate of 48
megawatts, will create roughly 100 new jobs by the end
of 2007. In 2008, Solaicx plans to expand the plant’s
capacity from its initial 12 silicon ingot growers to
a total of 36 growers. At full capacity, the facility
will produce 142 megawatts of solar ingots and wafers
per year.
“We looked at the state of Oregon's generous
financial incentives for renewable energy and Portland's
deep base of skilled labor in silicon manufacturing,
and decided that the port is an ideal place for our
continued growth as a company,” said Jeff Jones,
Vice President of Manufacturing for Solaicx. "This
welcoming atmosphere will allow us to meet our goals
and rapidly ramp-up to full production by the end of
2008."
Governor Ted Kulongoski has established growth in the
clean energy sector as a top priority for Oregon. In
the fall of 2005 a Renewable Energy Action Plan was
issued by the governor’s office, which led to
the subsequent development of a statewide Solar Energy
Working Group to develop and carry out a strategic plan
for advancing solar energy in Oregon. The city of Portland
was quick to follow with a series of initiatives to
encourage clean energy companies to choose Portland
for their operations.
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