Schott Solar to close Albuquerque plant; 250 lose jobs
Posted at: 06/28/2012 4:21 PM
| Updated at: 06/28/2012 6:48 PM
By: Shaun Griswold, KOB.com
Schott Solar said it will close it's Albuquerque manufacturing plant by the end of the summer.
More than 250 employees at the Mesa del Sol plant learned the news from the company's management Thursday afternoon.
In 2009, the production site for solar receivers and solar modules opened it's doors in Albuquerque. The State of New Mexico pitched in $130 million in taxpayer dollars to entice Schott Solar to begin manufacturing in the state.
Schott officials said more than 1,500 people would eventually work at the 800,000-square-foot facility in Albuquerque.
However, the U.S. operations for the German-based company struggled in a tough economy.
In 2011, Schott Solar reduced it's 350-employee workforce at the Albuquerque plant by 25 percent.
Today, Schott Solar said it will no longer manufacture solar panels in New Mexico, but that it will continue in other parts of the U.S.
Stay with KOB Eyewitness News for more on this developing story.
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