BP Solar plans $70M expansion

Frederick plant to double capacity, add 70 jobs

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Tom Fedor⁄The Gazette BP Solar plans to add 140,000 square feet of space as part of the $70 million expansion of its plant on Solarex Court in Frederick.

The expansion will make the facility the largest fully integrated solar plant in North America, said a company spokesman.

Officials with the British energy giant solar division were to announce their plans this morning.

‘‘This is a significant investment in a world-class and well-established business,” Bob Malone, chairman and president of BP America, said in a statement. ‘‘This expansion will keep us in command of a growing industry by meeting future demand and providing innovative products to the market.”

BP finished an expansion of the plant last year, adding 82 jobs and bringing its workforce close to 500, according to company officials. When the plant opened two decades ago, it employed about 40.

A year ago, BP officials also announced a three-year, $1.8 billion initiative — and up to $8 billion over the next decade — to double its investment in solar and other alternative energy resources.

BP Solar designs, manufactures and installs photovoltaic cells and modules that provide power for homes, small communities and commercial enterprises.

Plans include 140,000 square feet of new space, allowing the company to nearly double its casting, sizing and wafering manufacturing capacity to about 150 megawatts. The company also plans to relocate and integrate local warehousing and shipping facilities at the current site.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the first half of next year and finish by the end of 2008, pending approval of local permits.

‘‘In addition to expanding our manufacturing capacity, our plans are to upgrade the interior of the existing facilities and to use sustainable building techniques such as a roof garden, bio-retention, extensive water recycling and the utilization of LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] design components such as energy-efficient lighting, heating and cooling,” Lee Edwards, BP Solar’s CEO, said in a statement.

Other planned improvements include additional office and meeting space, more daylight access to office and manufacturing facilities, an auditorium, and solar and environmental education stations that will be available for tours and school groups.

BP Solar is one of the world’s largest solar companies and has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Spain, India and Australia. BP Solar is expected to hit revenues of $1 billion by 2008, according to a company statement last year.