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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

LG Electronics Plans Huntsville, Alabama, Solar Module Assembly Plant

06/28/2018
LG Electronics, a leading provider of residential solar panels in the United States, plans to invest $28 million to open a world-class solar module assembly plant in Huntsville, Alabama. The company plans to create 160 jobs.

LG will establish the new factory with two production lines at an existing building on the company’s 48-acre campus in Huntsville, where the company has had operations for four decades. The new jobs will increase LG’s employment by 60 percent, to more than 400 workers.

Soon Kwon, Global President of the LG B2B (Business-to-Business) Company, said the new solar panel assembly plant in Huntsville underscores the company’s commitment to investing in the U.S. and to driving environmental sustainability.

The new factory will assemble LG’s “Neon 2” series 60-cell modules, which are high-performance solar panels, generating over 17 percent more power than most conventional panels.

Starting in early 2019, LG’s new Alabama factory is expected to produce 500 megawatts of the company’s high-performance N-type solar panels annually. “That’s over a million solar panels a year,” Kwon said.

The new solar plant will help LG better serve its U.S. customers, Kwon said. The company selected Alabama after conducting a competitive, multistate search, he added.

“We’re thrilled that LG selected Huntsville for its new solar panel assembly plant because the company considered many other locations for this project,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “LG is a world-class company, and its decision represents a powerful endorsement of Alabama’s advantages and its workforce.”

“LG has a long history as a leading corporate citizen in Alabama. Now, LG is launching our state’s first solar manufacturing plant, which represents a major milestone both for Alabama and for the company,” Governor Kay Ivey said. “We look forward to seeing where this great partnership takes us in the future.”

The company’s new solar module plant builds on LG’s legacy of leadership in Huntsville. After starting as the company’s first U.S. manufacturing subsidiary in 1981, Huntsville became the home of LG’s service division in 1987, which expanded over the years to support LG’s growing presence in the United States.

As the headquarters location for North American service operations, LG Huntsville includes the technical call center, service training center, field service operations and parts warehouse.

“LG has long called Huntsville home, and the solar panel assembly factory will add a significant new dimension to our Alabama campus,” Kwon said. “Huntsville’s high-quality workforce and LG’s established presence in the Rocket City point to a bright future for LG in Alabama.”

“LG has been a strong community partner in Huntsville for many decades, a relationship that has deepened through visits to the company’s headquarters in Korea and successful advancements in technological innovation,” Mayor Tommy Battle said. “LG chose Huntsville as the place to do business in the U.S. more than 30 years ago, and they’ve chosen Huntsville again as a place to prosper with the new solar module plant.”

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