Ford finds buyer for Wixom plant, will be used as renewable energy park
It's official. Negotiations are reportedly complete and Ford's abandoned plant in Wixom, Michigan, is getting a new lease on life. The factory originally opened way back in 1957 during the glory years of the American automotive industry and it encompasses a massive 320 acres (4.7 million square-feet). By the fall of 2011, the Wixom plant won't really have much to do with cars, becoming instead the largest renewable energy park in the United States.
Two companies plan to invest $725 million into renovating the former Ford factory. Clairvoyant Energy of Santa Barbara, California will relocate its headquarters and produce solar panels in Wixom. Xtreme Power of Austin, Texas plans to build large-scale batteries to store power for the electric grid and from wind farms.
The promise of over 4,000 new jobs in Michigan was enough to garner a series of large tax breaks from the state and millions of dollars worth of grants from the federal government. For its part, Ford seems quite pleased with the direction its idled plant will take. Says executive chairman Bill Ford:
[Source: Detroit Free Press]This is very much in line with a core principle we hold at Ford... I can't imagine a better way to use this facility for our children and our grandchildren. We're going to put this plant and the skilled workers of Michigan back to work.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mapoftazifosho 2:40PM (9/11/2009)
This is fantastic. While compared to our loss of jobs in the area, this is minimal, but what this does for our spirit is enormous!
Reply
Boyprodigy1 4:00PM (9/11/2009)
Besides that its getting a jump in your area on creating a new brand of jobs that a lot of states just dont have at all. This makes me happy.
jpm 4:53PM (9/11/2009)
The ford ceo's quote needs modified a bit:
"This is very much in line with a core principle we hold at Ford ever since we jumped on the bandwagon on greenery... I can't imagine a better way to use this facility for our children and our grandchildren, whose futures' were made worse by our actions over the past decades, but manufacturing PV panels and batteries may improve great-grandchildren's lives. Someone else is going to put this plant and an extremely small fraction of Michigan back to work."
Reply
Throwback 5:55PM (9/11/2009)
Made worse by Ford's actions? Do you think only the Ford family bought cars over the last 100 years? Or should old man Ford have known about climate change 80 years ago?
Reply
Chris 3:31AM (9/13/2009)
Stupid. Two companies one from Texas and one from California investing money into a state that has shown that they can't handle their business. Why not invest in your own states?
Reply