BIRMINGHAM ? General Electric will build a $100 million green energy manufacturing technology center in Wayne County’s Van Buren Township that will eventually employ more than 1,200 workers, the company announced Friday.
The new facility will cost $100 million to build, the Associated Press reports, and the state of Michigan will provide $60 million in incentives over the next 12 years.
GE CEO Jeff Immelt said Michigan was a prime choice for this product since the company already employs 2,000 in the state, and several universities – specifically referencing the University of Michigan – feed its alumni to various areas across GE.
GE picked Van Buren Township for its green energy facility to develop wind turbines, advanced manufacturing technology, software and SmartGrid technology. Although no specific date was given, Immelt said hiring is slated to begin toward the end of the year.
“This is a great day because of our dogged focus of diversity in our economy,” said Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. “We are focused on re-imagining what Michigan is.”
Sen. Debbie Stabenow pointed out the state’s green energy efforts and said the partnership between Michigan and GE was a “perfect fit.”
“We are focused not only on green energy, but also smart grid technology,” Stabenow said. Smart grids are designed route energy from a variety of sources rather than one central grid.
“It’s announcements like this that allow our young graduates to stay here,” said Lt. Gov. John Cherry.
Reporters asked if GE was making a wise decision to expand into Michigan in light of recent troubles with the automotive industry was. Immelt remained confident about the choice.
“Smart business people go against the grain,” Immelt said. “I know that there’s great engineering schools in this state, great talent in this state, and we’ve got needs for that.”
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