March, 2009
- Wacker Chemie AG's President and CEO, Dr. Rudolf
Staudigl announced the Munich, Germany-based company's plans to
construct a new facility in Bradley County with an estimated capital
investment of $1 billion and initial employment of approximately
500 highly skilled workers.
The new facility will produce hyperpure polycrystalline
silicon, a key component in photovoltaics for solar energy and semiconductors
for the electronics industry.
Anticipation and speculation about the company
have built for months leading up to the announcement before some
400 guests in Dixon Center on the Lee University campus by Wacker
Chemie President and CEO Dr. Staudigl; Dr. Ingomar Kovar; President
and CEO, Wacker Chemical Corporation, Wacker's North American operations;
and Tennessee's Governor, Phil Bredesen. Dr. Peter-Alexander Wacker,
Chairman of Wacker Chemie AG's Supervisory Board, also attended
the announcement.
"Green energy is the new frontier in Tennessee
and especially in Bradley County," State Representative Kevin
Brooks, 24th District, said. "We have solar design being taught
at Cleveland State, and now we have a world leader in creating innovative
solutions today in Bradley County, Tennessee. Welcome home, Wacker
family, welcome home."
Carl Hite, Chairman of the Board for the Cleveland/Bradley
County Chamber of Commerce, spoke of the significance of the billion-dollar
investment locally and regionally. "This will be looked upon
as a major milestone in this community's history, particularly in
light of what is happening with the economy," Hite said. "The
fact that we are getting a company that not only excels at what
they do but is also a good corporate citizen, as well as good conservationists
of the environment, makes it even better." Continuing, he said,
"This community could not be getting a better company to build
their plant here in our county. I think all of us are looking forward
to working with Wacker, knowing this relationship will result in
success for them and for the citizens of Southeast Tennessee."
Wacker is purchasing approximately 550 acres in
north Bradley County adjacent to the county's Hiwassee River Industrial
Park on Lauderdale Memorial Highway. To accommodate the project,
the Tennessee Department of Transportation with assistance from
the Department of Economic and Community Development will build
a new industrial access road from Lauderdale Memorial Highway to
Old Lower River Road. The road will not only serve Wacker's new
facility, but it will also serve two existing manufacturers, Olin
Corporation and Arch Chemicals, with improved access to Interstate
75. Cleveland Utilities, Chattanooga Gas and Volunteer Energy will
also provide infrastructure to support the project.
"We are very fortunate to have a company of
Wacker's caliber and stature in the global development of the solar
cells photovoltaics industries locate in our community," Gary
Farlow, President and CEO of the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber
of Commerce, said. "Governor Bredesen, Commissioner Matt Kisber
(ECD), Commissioner Reagan Farr (Revenue), and the governor's cabinet
and their staff members, along with TVA staffers Alan Raymond and
John Bradley and others have done a tremendous job bringing this
project to Tennessee and establishing our state as a leader in our
country's energy future."
According to Farlow, TVA's Alan Raymond introduced
Bradley County to Wacker three years ago when the company was searching
for a location. An effort similar to the one that ultimately resulted
in today's announcement was done on the earlier project, which was
built on the company's existing campus in Berghausen, Germany.
"It was that experience and the work of many
of the same players who worked on the current project that brought
Wacker back to Bradley County this past year," Farlow explained.
"It was also due in part to Ross Tarver maintaining contact
with some of Wacker's officials located in the Adrian, Michigan,
North American operations headquarters even after the previous project
located in Germany."
"Today's announcement proves there's nothing
we can't accomplish if we work together," Ross Tarver said,
referring to the work done by the Industrial Development Board,
the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce, Bradley County
Commission, the State of Tennessee, TVA and many others over the
past eight months to bring the project to fruition. "All these
entities working together made this become a reality."
The Wacker Polysilicon Division of Wacker Chemie AG is currently
the world's second largest producer of hyperpure polycrystalline
silicon. For more information on Wacker Chemie, visit their website
at www.wacker.com.
