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'Clean Energy' Plant Closing After $58 Million in State Aid

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Report: Mass. 'Clean Energy' Plant Closing After $58 Million in State Aid
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
By Susan Jones

(CNSNews.com) - A clean energy company is closing its factory in Massachusetts, just two years after it opened the solar plant with about $58-million in taxpayer subsidies, the Boston Globe reported. Evergreen Solar calls itself a victim of weak demand and competition from cheaper suppliers in China.

The newspaper describes Evergreen Solar's closing a major hit to Democratic Governor Deval Patrick’s efforts to make Massachusetts a hub of the emerging clean-energy industry.

"The administration persuaded Evergreen to build at Devens with a package of grants, land, loans, and other aid originally valued at $76 million. The company ended up taking about $58 million, one of the largest aid packages Massachusetts has provided to a private company," the newspaper reported.

Gov. Patrick, a VIP at Evergreen's 2008 ribbon cutting, was heavily criticized by his rivals in 2010 for providing so much public aid to a company during tight fiscal times.

The Evergreen closing will eliminate 800 jobs in the commonwealth, the Globe reported.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/report-mass-clean-energy-plant-closing-a
 

Steve

Well-known member
MARLBORO, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Evergreen Solar, Inc. (NasdaqCM: ESLRD), a manufacturer of String Ribbon® solar power products with its proprietary, low-cost silicon wafer technology, today announced its intent to shut down operations at its Devens manufacturing facility to better position the Company

Mr. El-Hillow added, “Although production costs at our Devens facility have steadily decreased, and are now below originally planned levels and lower than most western manufacturers, they are still much higher than those of our low cost competitors in China.

Evergreen Solar will continue to operate its high temperature filament plant in Midland, Michigan and its wafer facility in Wuhan, China. With approximately 75 megawatts of installed wafer capacity in Wuhan, the Company will continue to supply its outsourcing partner with wafers for conversion into Evergreen Solar branded solar panels.
source press release from corporation http://evergreensolar.com/en/2011/01/evergreen-solar-to-close-devens-manufacturing-facility/


so basically they "developed the low cost production model" with state money and is now moving it's low cost operations to Wuhan china to take advantage of cheap labor..

in other words.. they outsourced the jobs from an extremely high cost labor market to an extremely low cost labor market.. and the taxpayers funded it...

when will democrats learn you can't buy friends.. especially in big business.
 

Steve

Well-known member
more from the press release..
Development activities associated with the Company’s industry standard size String Ribbon™ wafer have progressed substantially in the second half of 2010,

Mr. El-Hillow commented, “We have expanded our discussions with established solar companies in low cost regions and have provided samples of our industry standard wafers for their evaluation. Preliminary results have been positive and we have also begun in-depth negotiations to obtain significant financial support for our wafer manufacturing expansion on terms similar to what we received for our current wafer facility in Wuhan. Initial interest is high as we have shared the early results of development with potential partners.

in other words: the whore corporation is looking for another John to fund new plants in other low cost labor markets such as India..

now would be a good time to bitch slap them and ban their products in the US until they repay the money...
 

Steve

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
Steve, labor costs and tax costs, no doubt.

but there is no reason to allow them to "use" the taxpayer to reduce and outsource those costs.. as they did..

I would bet that even a hint of talk of banning them from doing business in the US would get them to pay back the money..
 
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