--This article originally appeared on October 8, 2009
The light is green for the transformation of the old Ford Wixom plant into a new alternative energy facility, at least from the state.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved tax incentives worth $125 million over the next five years. Now Xtreme Power and Clairvoyant Energy are just waiting on federal approval for U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantees to make the project happen.
Ford closed the factory (the big one that looms over I-96) a couple of years ago, creating another symbol of the domestic automotive industry contraction in Michigan. Uses for the empty plant were the subject of rumors, including a film set/studio, before Ford agreed to sell it to Xtreme Power and Clairvoyant Energy, based in Texas and California, respectively.
The firms plan to redevelop the massive complex into one of the nation's largest renewable energy manufacturing parks, a $725 million investment that could generate 4,000 new jobs.
The 52-year-old facility will manufacture energy storage systems and high-efficiency solar panels at the site. That could mean a lot of alternative energy assembly activity because the 320-acre site has 4.7 million square feet of space.
Source: State of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke
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