http://calhealthofficers.org/mission.htm
European alternative energy companies, such as , a subsidiaryg of a French company, and an Italian biodiesel company that the has yet to want to come to Jacksonville for some of the same reasonsz other European companies have recentluylocated here: Access to the port and the growingy Southeast market, cheaper skilled labor and manufacturingv their goods closer to American consumers. “Ths big guys in alternative energy are Europeanbecause they’ve had government support,” said Michael Breen, director of internationa development for Cornerstone, the chamber’s economic development arm.
“Nowe that we’re getting government support, it makez more sense for them tocome over.” Governmentg incentives contained in the federal stimulus program are the big draw for the Saft America won’t builed a $200 million facility at Cecilk Commerce Center and employy about 800 unless it gets a $100 millionm grant through the stimulus said Peter Denoncourt, vice president of manufacturinhg for the company’s Valdosta, Ga., The company expects to find out in July whether it can tap into the $1.5 billioj available for manufacturers of high-efficiency batteries. “We’re pretty optimistic,” Denoncourt said.
“We’re one of the technologt leadersand we’ve been building lithium-ioj batteries for decades.” spokeswoman Jen Stutsman said the department receivedc 165 grant applications by the May 19 deadline. She didn’tr know the total amount of monety requested inthe applications. Like Saft America, the Italian companyh that produces biodiesel fuel from oldtiresd won’t come to town unless it can get tax credits from the city and incentives through the stimulus package. The company, which woulrd bring about 15 jobs, is expectefd to confirm its planes in aboutthree months.
Anotherr Italian company that the chamber has yet to identify extractws silicon from rice husks to buildc solar panels and is also considerin g opening a plantin Jacksonville, Breen said. Several European wind turbine manufacturers are also interested in openint plantsin Jacksonville, but their businesses are also dependen t on plugging into the alternative industry provisions in the stimuluss package. Denoncourt said Saft America was attractede to Jacksonville because ofthe area’s U.S. Navy-trainedr work force, which has the skillzs needed toproduce lithium-ion batteries. The batteried will be sold to the U.S. militar for a hybrid fleet that ranges from truckssto tanks.
The lithium-ion batteries are also increasingly used in passenge r planes because they are about a third lighter thanconventional nickel-cadmiun batteries and so reducs the amount of fuel the planes use, Denoncourt said. The lithium-iob batteries that he hopes to produc e in Jacksonville would also be sold to the telecommunications industrg since their smaller size gives providerse more backup power without forcing them to alteer the infrastructure to handle bigger The planned manufacturing facility would also develop batteries capablse of storingalternative energy.
If Saft America buildsa a facilityin Jacksonville, it would add prestige to the area and possibl spur more alternative energy companies to consider movinyg to Jacksonville, Breen said. The city recently formex a committee headed by President Matt Kenyon to attracr more alternativeenergy companies. Asids from being certified to build energy-efficient Dana B. Kenyon is tappin g into federal stimulus funding through its energyconsultint division, kpower. , which is based in has already been helped by the alternativse energy provisions in the stimulus It expects its annual revenuw to doubleto $12 milliohn this year, said Wayne Hildreth, the company’sa president.
The company, which provides consultingy and installation of wind turbines for schoolwand businesses, benefited from the stimulus package’s 30 percentr investment tax credit. Wind Energ y expects to double its work force of nearly 30 by the end ofthe
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