$1B solar panel plant in Inola

[BKDotCom]

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/italys-enel-invest-more-than-1-bln-oklahoma-solar-panel-factory-2023-05-22/

May 22 (Reuters) - Italy's Enel SpA (ENEI.MI) said on Monday it will invest more than $1 billion in a solar cell and panel factory in Oklahoma, seeking to capitalize on a U.S. push to build a homegrown clean energy manufacturing sector to compete with China.

The facility will be among the largest to produce solar equipment in the United States, where most projects are built with imported panels. It is also one of the first U.S. factories to produce silicon-based solar cells on a large scale.

The investment is one of the biggest in solar manufacturing since the passage of U.S. President Joe Biden's landmark climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), last year. Facilities built with panels containing domestically made cells may receive a lucrative IRA bonus tax credit worth 10% of a project's cost.

Enel, which had first said last year it planned to build a U.S. solar factory, selected a site in Inola, Oklahoma, near Tulsa. It will employ 1,000 people by 2025.

"Enel's expansion is a huge win for Oklahoma, and I'm thrilled by their record investment in our state's economy and workforce, that will have a lasting legacy and continue to impact Oklahomans for generations," Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said in a statement.

The facility will produce 3 gigawatts of solar products annually, with the first panels rolling off the line by the end of 2024. Eventually, production could double to 6 GW per year with an additional 900 jobs created, the company said.

Enel's U.S. manufacturing arm, 3Sun USA LLC, selected the 300-acre site in Oklahoma because it has water and power utilities and a workforce in the region that can immediately support its large factory. Speed is critical for manufacturers seeking to take advantage of IRA incentives that start to phase out at the end of this decade.

"We wanted to move fast," Giovanni Bertolino, head of 3SunUSA, said in an interview. The company could get up to $180 million in funding from the state of Oklahoma if it satisfies certain employment and investment conditions.

The company will be able to start construction in Oklahoma later this year.

The facility will produce 3 gigawatts of solar products annually, with the first panels rolling off the line by the end of 2024. Eventually, production could double to 6 GW per year with an additional 900 jobs created, the company said.

"There will be us and very few others who have the capabilities to make cells," Bertolino said. "There is a lot of interest in that."

In a statement, Biden said the Enel announcement was "the latest proof that my Investing in America agenda is working, and American manufacturing is back."

[shavethewhales]

That's kind of a surprise. Glad we finally got something big. Should be decent jobs, and quite a large workforce. This will keep the Tulsa metro growing at a steady clip at least.

After so many failed attempts to woo something I had kind of stopped paying attention to all the new factory rumors.

The need for haste definitely worked in our favor. They didn't have time to waste like Tesla or Panasonic to suss out the best incentive deal. OK has the land, power, and other basic requirements for this type of deal to work quickly. Hopefully this helps set up the area for more.

[SXSW]

That's kind of a surprise. Glad we finally got something big. Should be decent jobs, and quite a large workforce. This will keep the Tulsa metro growing at a steady clip at least.

After so many failed attempts to woo something I had kind of stopped paying attention to all the new factory rumors.

The need for haste definitely worked in our favor. They didn't have time to waste like Tesla or Panasonic to suss out the best incentive deal. OK has the land, power, and other basic requirements for this type of deal to work quickly. Hopefully this helps set up the area for more.

The state is still actively negotiating with Panasonic but doesn't want to foot the bill for the additional infrastructure that the failed TIF would've provided.  

Interesting hearing Tesla talk about the future of their business at their investor meeting last week.  It's robots not cars.  That will be the next wave of "big factories" like what we have seen with semiconductors, EV's and batteries.  

[heironymouspasparagus]

Where is the water coming from??

Making cells takes a LOT of water.


Wonder why a US company didn't think about this?  Without having to go to Italy...    And for the right wing snowflakes that might say I have something against Italy...No.  I don't.  Have several Italians in the family.   Huh... on second thought....?

Not really - I like some and love most of the family.

[swake]

Where is the water coming from??

Making cells takes a LOT of water.


Wonder why a US company didn't think about this?  Without having to go to Italy...    And for the right wing snowflakes that might say I have something against Italy...No.  I don't.  Have several Italians in the family.   Huh... on second thought....?

Not really - I like some and love most of the family.

It's being built at the Tulsa PORT of Inola?

[shavethewhales]

Water availability is another perk of NE Oklahoma. Lots of lakes in proximity and not a ton of demand. Oddly enough however, the Bartlesville area is in a drought and having to restrict water use...

One would imagine that this brand new massive facility will have top of the line recycling abilities and water filtering systems to deal with all the byproducts and water use.

[Hoss]

Where is the water coming from??

Making cells takes a LOT of water.


Wonder why a US company didn't think about this?  Without having to go to Italy...    And for the right wing snowflakes that might say I have something against Italy...No.  I don't.  Have several Italians in the family.   Huh... on second thought....?

Not really - I like some and love most of the family.

The Verdigris?  Remember Black Fox was planned to be built there (Inola).

[patric]

It's being built at the Tulsa PORT of Inola?

An international green energy company will build a solar panel manufacturing facility at the Tulsa Port of Inola in what is being called the largest economic development project in state history.

Construction on the more than 2 million-square-foot factory will begin in the fall. The company expects to begin manufacturing solar panels by the end of 2024. The building project is anticipated to create more than 1,800 construction jobs.

The Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, which includes billions of dollars in subsidies to increase green energy development and encourage companies to build solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries in the U.S., spurred Enel officials to look at sites for a new factory.
Discussions about the new factory have been in the works since last May when Tulsa Regional Chamber and Commerce Department officials met with Enel executives during the PGA Championship in Tulsa.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/enel-to-build-1-billion-solar-panel-plant-at-tulsa-port-of-inola/article_05ea9a06-f675-11ed-a564-4f503f10ca71.html
 

[Red Arrow]

One would imagine that this brand new massive facility will have top of the line recycling abilities and water filtering systems to deal with all the byproducts and water use.

One would hope so but this IS Oklahoma.

[Laramie]

This is huge.   A $1 billion investment by Enel North America for the Tulsa metro  area with the plant in Tulsa's Port of Inola Industrial Park.

It will boost population estimates for the 2025-26 when the plant goes into production.

Enel North America (headquarters in Andover, MA) has a regional office in Oklahoma City.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

It is good news for the area and the state. here is some info on their current 3Sun Gigafactory in Catania.

https://www.enelgreenpower.com/who-we-are/innovation/3SUN-factory

[Jeff P]

Great news.

But one thing I'm wondering - does the construction schedule seem pretty crazy optimistic?

Construction starting this fall and then moving panels off the line by the end of 2024? So only a year(ish) of construction before the factory is up and running? That seems ridiculously fast for a $1 billion project.

[heironymouspasparagus]

It's being built at the Tulsa PORT of Inola?

That channel doesn't have that kind of water.



Here is a lite once over about water usage in semiconductor manufacturing.   

https://industrytoday.com/waters-critical-role-in-semiconductor-manufacturing/

[heironymouspasparagus]

The Verdigris?  Remember Black Fox was planned to be built there (Inola).

Yeah.  And there was nowhere near enough water for Black Fox then either.

[ComeOnBenjals]

Has anyone heard anything about this?