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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

SGL Group and BMW Group Announce Selection of Moses Lake, WA for New Carbon Fiber Plant

04/06/2010
SGL Group and BMW Group have selected a site at Moses Lake in central Washington to build a parts plant for lightweight BMW cars in part because of the availability of hydroelectric power.

During the initial phase the joint venture, SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers LLC, will invest US$ 100 million and 80 local jobs will be created.

The fibers manufactured at Moses Lake will be used exclusively for BMW Group's upcoming Megacity Vehicle. In February of this year, BMW Group announced that this new vehicle for urban mobility - set to be launched before 2015 under a BMW sub-brand - will be assembled in Leipzig, Germany. Now, a key piece of the Megacity Vehicle has a base in the USA.

According to the BMW Group press release, the decision to build the carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake was based primarily on the availability of renewable clean hydropower and competitive energy costs in the state of Washington. Favorable infrastructure conditions, existing utilities, a skilled labor force and ease of working with the local government were also contributing factors in selecting Moses Lake as the location.

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