Nevada Senator Harry Reid in a tight race himself against Sharron Angle had time to breakground for a new solar manufacturing plant in Nevada. The groundbreaking ceremony was presided over by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and attended by dignitaries including U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley, Nevada State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, and City of North Las Vegas Mayor Shari L. Buck. The clean energy company Amonixreceived a competitive Recovery Act tax credit of $5.8 million to open the 214,000 square foot facility where concentrating photovoltaic cells (CPV) will be manufactured. The project will create Approximately 300 new jobs in the city of North Las Vegas. Amonix designs and manufactures concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar power systems used in sunny and dry climates.
In remarks Senator Reid said “But I know just recovering won’t satisfy Nevada. We want to prosper. We want to lead. We want to be the envy of the world.“That’s why we’re not just creating jobs. We’re creating green jobs. Jobs that can never be outsourced. Jobs that will make Nevada the leader in producing and exporting renewable energy. There is simply nowhere better in the world to generate solar energy than right here in Nevada.
Now we have to turn that energy into jobs.“That’s why I made sure the Recovery Act included almost $6 million in tax credits to help Amonix open this facility. Our investment has helped bring in much more private capital to make this possible. That’s exactly how the stimulus was supposed to work. So the next time you hear someone say the Recovery Act isn’t working, tell them to come here. They should talk to the nearly 300 Nevadans who will be working here every day. “By next summer, hundreds of Nevadans will be making solar modules right here in this building and even this manufacturing facility is green. Amonix received a $5.8 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act competitive manufacturing tax credit, legislation Senator Reid and Congresswoman Berkley championed, to open the new facility. The company said that it has begun hiring area residents to fill management, technical and production jobs, and that 135 local construction workers will build out the facility over the next few months.