North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm announced the first distribution from the $1.93 billion earmarked for the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit (48C Program) at Siemens Energy in Charlotte on Friday. Siemens Energy, a major manufacturer of power transformers, will receive credits as part of the first round of the 48C Program.
Governor Cooper highlighted Siemens Energy's plans to expand its operations in North Carolina, creating 559 jobs and investing $149.8 million in the state. The expansion includes the establishment of the first Siemens Energy Transformer production facility in the United States, based in Mecklenburg County. This facility will build large power transformers (LPTs), a key component of the nation's power grid, and further add to the company’s engineering operations in Wake County.
Siemens Energy President Rich Voorberg expressed his excitement about the expansion, noting the company's commitment to reinvest in Charlotte and Raleigh. "With this new announcement, we're going to create almost 500 full-time, high-paying, quality jobs," Voorberg said. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration between the private sector and the government to foster growth and job creation.
Secretary Granholm praised the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit as a program that will bring more jobs to North Carolina through Siemens Energy and other companies. "We are announcing $4 billion in tax credits for over 100 clean energy manufacturing projects across America today," she said. The investments will enable Siemens Energy to harness savings for the production of large transformers for the U.S. grid.
Governor Cooper concluded that North Carolina’s emergence as a clean energy hub is key to the state’s growth and business success. The announcement reflects a commitment to keep pace with the global move toward clean energy and emphasizes the goal of creating American jobs and ensuring energy security.
Source: carolinajournal.com