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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Illuminate USA Establishes Pataskala, Ohio, Solar Panel Plant

03/16/2023
Illuminate USA, a new joint venture between renewable energy company Invenergy and Chinese solar panel manufacturer Longi, will establish solar panel production operations in Pataskala, Ohio. The more than $600 million project is expected to create 850 jobs in the Columbus region.

The 1.1-million-square-foot Licking County facility, located at 3600 Etna Parkway, will manufacture high-quality domestic solar panels, delivering up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of solar module capacity per year. Operations are scheduled for the end of 2023.

“As an American company and a leading developer and operator of solar projects in the U.S., we recognize the importance of having a strong domestic supply chain to meet the fast-growing demand for affordable solar power,” said Art Fletcher, EVP, Global Sourcing at Invenergy. “Invenergy is proud of the role Illuminate USA will play in bringing the highest-quality, domestically produced solar products to market, enhancing our nation’s manufacturing capabilities with a long-term investment that will create at least 850 good-paying jobs for Ohioans.”

Invenergy, the anchor customer of the Illuminate USA joint venture, and its affiliated companies develop, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has regional development offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Poland and Scotland.

“Illuminate USA’s investment is a critical step to establishing a more complete solar power supply chain in the United States as market demand for clean energy grows,” noted J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “These new operations at a more than one million-square-foot facility will amplify Ohio’s role to boost domestic production of solar panels, creating at least 850 new jobs in Pataskala.”

LONGi Green Energy Technology Co. Ltd. or LONGi Group, formerly Xi'an Longi Silicon Materials Corporation, is a Chinese photovoltaics company, a major manufacturer of solar modules and a developer of solar power projects.

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