Colorado Springs lands Swiss solar-cell production facility

COLORADO SPRINGS — Meyer Burger, a Switzerland-based manufacturer of industrial solar cells, has chosen Colorado Springs for a new solar-cell production facility.

The plant is expected to employ up to 380 people, with an average annual wage of $77,842. Production is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2024 at the facility, to be located in a former semiconductor manufacturing facility off of Garden of the Gods Road.

The project is supported by a tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act, with support from the state of Colorado, Colorado Springs and other groups, for a total incentive package of almost $90 million. The Colorado Economic Development Commission last week awarded $4.9 million in Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits for the project.

Other incentives include direct support and discounted electricity and water rates. Additionally, Meyer Burger secured a $300 million loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy to finance its U.S. expansion, according to a Meyer Burger press release.

“Meyer Burger is a driving force for the expansion of solar energy in the U.S. as well as in Germany and Europe,” Meyer Burger CEO Gunter Erfurt said in a written statement. “We would be pleased to lay the foundation for a transatlantic solar energy partnership and also expand our manufacturing in Germany and the European Union in the future. Our presence in the U.S. will enable us to reach existing and future customers more quickly.”

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