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March 11, 2010

Siemens Energy to Build New Gas
Turbine Production Facility in Charlotte

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue announced today that Siemens Energy, Inc. will expand its Charlotte operations establishing a Gas Turbine Center on its Westinghouse Boulevard campus.

Siemens will construct a new 450,000 square foot facility to house the expansion. The company plans to build the facilities to meet LEED certification standards. The project includes engineering, manufacturing and repair of 60-Hertz gas turbines and generators for the U.S. and other 60-Hz markets around the world.

Siemens is expected to create as many as 825 jobs over five years of which approximately 440 will be new manufacturing positions and 385 will be salaried personnel. The average wage for the new jobs is expected to be around $25.50/hour for the hourly positions and $70,000 for the salaried positions.

The company will invest approximately $170 million over five years on new construction as well as machinery and equipment for this expansion. Production is slated to begin in the fall of 2011.

“The new plant will be the most advanced gas turbine production site in North America and set new benchmarks in terms of quality, productivity and competitiveness in what is, by far, the world’s most important power market,” said Wolfgang Dehen, CEO of Siemens Energy in a company release.

Bob Morgan, President of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce said, “This project represents the largest single industrial announcement in Mecklenburg County since IBM announced a new plant in Charlotte in 1978. With it, Siemens will become the largest manufacturer in Mecklenburg County.” He added, “It is also another significant event in reaffirming Charlotte’s position as a leader in the energy sector.”

The announcement follows on the heels of Siemens announcement in May of 2009 that the company would be adding 226 new jobs and a $52 million expansion of their existing Charlotte operations. Other significant energy sector announcements during the past 12 months include projects by Toshiba America Nuclear Energy, CoaLogix and Celgard.

The Chamber worked closely with the NC Dept. of Commerce, NC Dept. of Transportation, NC Employment Security Commission, NC Community College System, Central Piedmont Community College, City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and Duke Energy in recruiting this project.

Click here to read the NC Department of Commerce release.

Click here to read the company’s official press release.

Click here to watch a video of the announcement.

For additional information:

Contact:

Charlotte Chamber | 330 South Tryon Street | Charlotte, NC 28202 | 704.378.1300 | www.charlottechamber.com

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