Thread: Spanish Solar Company to Set Up Shop in Arizona

Spanish Solar Company to Set Up Shop in Arizona

$50 million plant will be built in Surprise
Updated: Wednesday, 11 Aug 2010, 7:31 PM MDT
Published : Wednesday, 11 Aug 2010, 7:31 PM MDT

SURPRISE - A Spanish manufacturer of glass for commercial solar plants announced Wednesday that it will build a $50 million U.S. headquarters in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise.

Rioglass Solar said the 130,000-square-foot facility will employ more than 100 workers -- and create 200 temporary construction jobs. An additional 130,000 square feet of manufacturing space is on the drawing board.

The company makes specially-designed curved glass sheets used in solar plant parabolic concentrators. It is a subsidiary of Rioglass Solar Holdings.

Attractive incentives brought the company here. The city is waiving more than $1 million in fees and infrastructure improvement costs. Rioglass Solar also received $10.6 million in federal tax credits to locate its mirror manufacturing facility in Surprise.

"Rioglass Solar adds to the significant progress Arizona is making to become a global leader in the renewable energy sector, and creating quality, stable jobs that will help advance and diversify our state's economy," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said.

Rioglass plans to supply glass for the Solana Generating Station planned by Abengoa Solar Inc. of Spain near Gila Bend, Ariz.

Abengoa Solar got a $1.4 billion federal loan guarantee through the Obama administration's stimulus program to build the 280 megawatt plant, one of the world's largest.

By this time next year, the plant is expected to be up and running.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/fo ... -8-11-2010

Quote:
"Rioglass Solar said the 130,000-square-foot facility will employ more than 100 workers -- and create 200 temporary construction jobs."

As far as the temporary construction jobs, happily Arizona requires the use of E-Verify for all new hires by a state law which was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This also would apply to the 100 permanent workers, although it does not mention how many of these will be Spanish or other foreign nationals working here on visas.

Quote:
"Abengoa Solar got a $1.4 billion federal loan guarantee through the Obama administration's stimulus program to build the 280 megawatt plant, one of the world's largest."

That's mighty few U.S. jobs from construction of a foreign-owned private business which is being subsidized by U.S. taxpayers! And, of course, they and their (probably primarily European stockholders) will own the corporation itself. No mention of any U.S. businesses which might have been able to do the same thing. And where did Michelle Obama just go on vacation? Did I hear SPAIN?

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