A global solar manufacturer that is headquartered in Switzerland is set to expand in Colorado Springs.
Meyer Burger, an industrial manufacturer of solar cells and solar modules, is set to begin production at a Colorado Springs manufacturing plant during the second half of 2024. The plant is expected to create more than 350 new jobs at an annual wage of $77,842, which is 129.4 percent of the average annual wage in El Paso County, according to a release from the state. Among the jobs that are expected to be created at the plant include project managers, operators, facility managers, process engineers, and maintenance personnel.
“Colorado’s strong, economy and business-friendly environment continues to attract companies to move and grow here, and we are thrilled Meyer Burger has selected Colorado Springs for their expansion. Their expansion will create more than 350 new good-paying jobs in our state and further position Colorado as a leader in the cleantech industry,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in the release.
Meyer Burger was attracted to Colorado Springs because of the availability of an existing facility, access to talent and Colorado’s commitment to renewable energy. The company plans to use local suppliers, and the facility will have an initial capacity of two gigawatts of solar cells per year to supply its solar module production facility in Arizona.
The Colorado Economic Development Commission up to $4,944,960 in performance-based Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits for Meyer Burger over an eight-year period. Those incentives are contingent upon the company meeting new job creation and salary requirements, according to the release.
“Our presence in the U.S. will enable us to reach existing and future customers more quickly. I would like to sincerely thank our partners in the Biden administra- tion and in Colorado as well as our offtake partners DESRI, Ingka and BayWa for their support in expanding our U.S. activities,” said Gunter Erfurt, CEO of Meyer Burger. “Meyer Burger is currently working on additional multi-gigawatt offtake agreements in the U.S. with new customers. We are already exploring opportunities to add further solar cell and module production capacity in the country.”
Meyer Burger considered New York, Indiana, and Arizona for expansion. It currently employees around 1,400 people and is the second international solar company to choose Colorado for expansion recently.
In June, the state announced that VSK Energy Inc., a new joint venture developing a vertically integrated solar manufacturing operation in the country, selected Brighton for expansion. The factory will be located at the recently completed 76 Commerce Center. Jobs at the site will include engineers, technical operators, manufacturing laborers, and administrative staff.
Colorado ranks in the top ten states for energy production, and since 2010, renewable electricity generation has more than quadrupled to account for 37 percent of the state’s electricity generation in 2022, according to a statement from Michelle Hadwiger, the director of global business develop- ment for Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
“Colorado’s cleantech industry is globally competitive and we see that when companies like Meyer Burger choose our state for expansion,” said Hadwiger in the statement.
