Clean Energy In the News

Governor Bill Richardson today helped break ground on SCHOTT Solar’s new $500 million solar equipment manufacturing plant at Mesa Del Sol.  SCHOTT’s new plant will create as many as 1,500 new jobs at peak production and is expected to open in early 2009.

The new manufacturing plant will be one of SCHOTT Solar’s largest operations in the United States and will make solar photovoltaic modules and receiver tubes for concentrated solar plants.

“I am pleased to announce that SCHOTT Solar has officially broken ground on their new solar manufacturing facility,” said Governor Richardson. “And they work fast- it was less than two months ago that I announced that Schott Solar would build a new $500 million-dollar facility at Mesa Del Sol.”  

SCHOTT is one of the largest solar equipment manufacturers in the world and operates in 41 countries with 16,800 employees worldwide. The company has been in operation for more than 120 years.

“Today is an extremely proud day for SCHOTT,” said Dr. Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of SCHOTT’s Board of Management. “With the groundbreaking in New Mexico, SCHOTT is further demonstrating the company’s position as a global leader in solar technology and our ongoing commitment to developing the North American market through strategic investment.”

Initially, the company will construct a 200,000 square-foot facility on 80 acres of land and employ 350 people. SCHOTT Solar is making an investment of approximately $100 million to start production in New Mexico.

Anticipating the need to increase production of its solar power technologies as the market for renewable energy in the United States grows; SCHOTT’s new site is designed to support expansion of both its photovoltaic module and solar receiver lines. Long term plans call for the building to expand to 800,000 square feet with employment reaching 1,500 at full production, representing a total investment of $500 million.

“Today marks the beginning of a new era for New Mexico,” said Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Fred Mondragón. “The state is well on its way to becoming the country’s premier location for the clean alternative energy industry.”

About SCHOTT

SCHOTT is a technology-driven, international group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions through special materials and high-tech solutions. Its main areas of focus are the household appliance industry, pharmaceutical packaging, optics and opto-electronics, information technology, consumer electronics, lighting, automotive engineering and solar energy.

SCHOTT has a presence in close proximity to its customers through highly efficient production and sales companies in all of its major markets. The company has approximately 17,000 employees producing worldwide sales of approximately $3 billion. In North America, SCHOTT’s holding company SCHOTT Corporation and its subsidiary SCHOTT North America, Inc. and their affiliates employ about 2,500 people in 16 operations.

The company’s technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibilities.