New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that Maxeon Solar Technologies will open a more than $1 billion-dollar solar cell and panel manufacturing center in Mesa del Sol.
The Singapore-based company’s planned 1.9 million-square-foot complex is the first commercial-scale solar cell manufacturer in the country and is expected to employ up to 1,800 people.
"I am proud to welcome Maxeon Solar Technologies' first US-based manufacturing facility to New Mexico," said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. "This private investment shows how our state programs, paired with President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, have charted a path for New Mexico as a leader in growing the clean energy economy and creating a strong workforce for the future."
Over the next 10 years, the project is expected to bring $4.2 billion to New Mexico.
“We undertook an intensive process to assess sites across the nation to find the right home for our first U.S. manufacturing facility, which includes solar cell fabrication and panel assembly. New Mexico had everything we were looking for: a strong business-friendly climate, supportive infrastructure, focus on workforce development, and deep roots in energy leadership,” said Maxeon Solar Technologies CEO Bill Mulligan. “We applaud Governor Lujan Grisham and her staff for their vision to create clean energy highly-skilled jobs here to support the much-needed expansion of a domestic supply chain.”
The Maxeon plant is expected to be the first large-scale PV cell and panel manufacturing in New Mexico, and its planned capacity is approximately double the size of the largest silicon solar manufacturing facility currently operating in the U.S.
“Maxeon’s investment is another example of how New Mexico is leading the nation in creating clean energy jobs to tackle climate change,” said New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney. “The New Mexico Environment Department is decarbonizing our economy while creating opportunities for employment.”
Construction is expected to start at the beginning of 2024 on 160 acres in Mesa del Sol.
"Albuquerque is at the forefront of the movement to bring manufacturing back home because of our unique location, affordability, and skilled workforce," said Tim Keller, Mayor of Albuquerque. "Bringing good paying jobs in clean energy will help foster new opportunities for families in New Mexico and create a more sustainable future for America."
At full production, the facility is projected to manufacture up to 8 million solar panels each year.
“New Mexico has seen tremendous employment growth over the past year, and the challenge now is to help workers tap into the Governor’s tuition-free college initiatives so they can learn new skills and earn higher wages,” said Deputy Secretary Jon Clark of the New Mexico Economic Development Department. “Maxeon’s partnerships with higher education is the way forward as we build a more diverse economy and resilient workforce in New Mexico.”
The new facility will produce the latest-generation cell technology and solar modules to meet the rapidly growing demand to serve both the Utility Scale Power Plant market and Distributed Generation rooftop applications.