The Clarksville-Montgomery Economic Development Council in Tennessee hosted a special groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, March 19th for Hemlock Semiconductor Group's new polysilicon manufacturing facility.
"Today's groundbreaking marks the first real visible step to prepare the site for construction of our world class polysilicon manufacturing facility for the solar industry," said Terry Strange, site manager of the Hemlock Semiconductor Tennessee site. "However, Hemlock Semiconductor could not have reached this milestone without the countless people who were involved in the process of selecting the Tennessee site. We are extremely appreciative of their hard work and due diligence that was given to make this investment a reality."
In December 2008, Hemlock Semiconductor announced an initial investment of $1.2 billion in to build the new Clarksville polysilicon manufacturing facility which is expected to be completed in 2012.
“This initial investment by Hemlock Semiconductor, and today’s groundbreaking ceremony, marks the beginning of new era in Clarksville’s history,” said James Chavez, president and CEO of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council. “The jobs created by Hemlock Semiconductor and Dow Corning, as well as the related economic impact that will result from this investment, will forever change our community.”
More than 100 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Clarksville’s Commerce Park.