More News

BP Solar plans $70M expansion in Frederick

Plant to double capacity, add 70 jobs

Friday, Nov. 17, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Tom Fedor⁄The Gazette ‘‘This is going to be a naturallink to the local economy,” said Lee Edwards, CEO of BP Solar. Click here to enlarge this photo Tom Fedor⁄The Gazette Dung Nguyen unloads silicon wafers from a wire saw machine at BP Solar’s plant in Frederick, which plans to double its capacity.

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 announced their plans Thursday.

‘‘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.”

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.

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

A year ago, BP officials 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.

Frederick’s Office of Economic Development ‘‘is very excited about the prospect of Frederick and Maryland leading the way in alternative renewable energy incentives, particularly solar,” said Richard Griffin, director of the office.

Maryland has what Griffin called a ‘‘technology-based knowledge economy” that can be at the forefront of research and development of new technologies, including the development and cultivation of alternative energy resources.

‘‘It makes good business sense to invest in technology that will reduce dependence on traditional power sources,” Griffin said. ‘‘The cost of energy is increasing significantly, making renewable sources like solar more competitive.”

The BP Solar expansion is a big step toward weaning the United States off fossil fuel, said John Darnell, a spokesman for Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Dist. 6) of Buckeystown.

‘‘If we want sustainable energy, we have to start doing things differently,” Darnell said. ‘‘We need to rely on non-fossil energy, and that means solar. We’re on our way to building zero-energy buildings where you don’t need to be plugged in to get heat and energy.”

Edwards said the 70 new jobs and the construction work involved in the expansion will be a boon for local residents.

‘‘This is going to be a natural link to the local economy,” he said of the new jobs.

Marie Keegin, executive director of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, said BP Solar has not received county money for the project, but may receive a training reimbursement grant. The Maryland Energy Administration said the company has not received money through its office.

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.