SCHOTT Solar Inaugurates Flagship U.S. Manufacturing Facility

SCHOTT Solar inaugurated its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for products used to generate solar power, one year after breaking-ground on the project’s first-phase. The 200,000-sq-ft facility represents an initial investment of over $100 million in the Albuquerque region from the global SCHOTT Solar group. SCHOTT has created 350 jobs at the new facility, which will continue to ramp up production throughout the summer. The facility was designed and built by CH2M HILL to support expansion of both SCHOTT’s photovoltaic module and solar thermal receiver lines. Long term plans call for the buildings to expand to 800,000 sq ft, representing a total investment of approximately $500 million.

SCHOTT Solar Manufacturing Facility, Albuquerque

For the first phase, the Albuquerque facility will have an annual capacity of up to 85mw of photovoltaic 225w polycrystalline modules, a product with a diverse range of applications that is particularly well suited for commercial buildings and schools. The facility is also the first in the U.S. to produce receivers used in parabolic trough, utility-scale, concentrated solar power plants. Initially, the two production lines will produce enough receivers to meet the demands of up to 400mw CSP power plants per year.

New Stimulus Projects Move Forward, Bidding Soon

The state of New Mexico will award an additional $140 million worth of highway and local road reconstruction projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In addition, $12 million has been approved for several public transit projects across the state. That brings the total amount of recovery funding allocated to the New Mexico Dept. of Transportation for highway and local road and local transit projects to approximately $264 million.

“The priority is to get people back to work and to boost the New Mexico economy and these projects do just that,” says Governor Richardson. “The planning and engineering work we have done during the past six years put us ahead of other states in being ready to put shovels in the ground.” All of the projects were part of GRIP 1, and were passed and approved with the Legislature.

In the upcoming months the state will award contracts for the following projects:

• U.S. 64/87 from Raton to Clayton, adding two additional lanes from mileposts 378-390; estimated cost $30 million
• U.S. 491 from Tohatchi south to Shiprock; adding two additional lanes from mileposts 59-67; estimated cost $31 million
• I-10 from Las Cruces to Texas State Line; adding two additional lanes for a six-lane highway from mileposts 144-164; estimated cost $50 million ($10 million stimulus funds, $40 million GRIP funds)

$25 Million Army Corps Stimulus May Benefit Locals

The recently-passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriates nearly $25 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Albuquerque District to perform essential civil works construction and operations and maintenance work in New Mexico and southern Colorado. Included are funds for expansion of the campground at Cochiti Dam in New Mexico as well as funds to address maintenance needs at John Martin Dam in Colorado, Cochiti, Abiquiu, Conchas, Jemez Canyon, Two Rivers, and Santa Rosa Dams in New Mexico.

The act appropriates additional funds for civil works construction projects at Bottomless Lakes State Park, environmental infrastructure for a wastewater treatment facility in Eunice, water system replacement in Questa, water and sewer services in Deming and design improvements for Santa Cruz Dam.

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