A new solar plant is coming to Belen, bringing 200 jobs initially, and possibly 600 in the future.
Gov. Bill Richardson on Tuesday said Signet Solar plans to build its first North American solar panel production facility in the town of Belen, 30 miles south of Albuquerque, bringing 200 jobs initially, and possibly 600 in the future. The first phase is slated to begin operation by 2010 and will bring 200 high-wage jobs, Richardson said.
The first phase will be about 100,000 square feet with plans to grow to 400,000 square feet, said Toni Balzano, public information officer for the Economic Development Department. Long-term plans call for expanding the facility to 600,000 square feet.
The salaries will range from $39,000 for workers in the plant up to $100,000 for management positions, Balzano added.
The Signet facility will produce large-area, thin-film silicon photovoltaic modules for commercial rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems. The first phase of the plant will have an annual production capacity of 65 megawatts, which is enough to power about 20,000 homes. Long-term plans call for increasing production capacity to 300 megawatts per year.
Balzano said there are a total of about $185 million worth of tax incentives for which the company would qualify. That includes a manufacturing tax credit, a high-wage jobs tax credit, the Job Training Incentive Program, a rural jobs tax credit and a renewable energy jobs tax credit.
The 75-acre facility where the plant will be located is owned by Coast Range Investments. Signet will be the first company to set up manufacturing in the 6,000-acre Rancho Cielo master-planned industrial and residential community. Rancho Cielo plans to use Signet panels on a 700-acre solar farm designed to meet the majority of the power requirements in development.
Rajeeva Lahri, Signet Solar’s co-founder and CEO, said New Mexico was an obvious starting point for the company’s expansion into the U.S. renewable energy market.
“Under Governor Richardson’s leadership, New Mexico has demonstrated commitment to renewable energy through public-private partnerships, leveraging its skilled work force and world-class research institutions,” he said.
Signet is based in Menlo Park and has a plant near Dresden, Germany. It began shipping its product from that location in October. The company has installed several commercial rooftop and ground-mounted systems in this region. Signet officials said the firm’s large-area, thin-film silicon technology will bring down the cost of solar power and can be used for solar farms, large commercial installations, building integrated photovoltaics and remote habitation.
