Solar panel manufacturing plan at Tulsa Port of Inola

[Swake]

The international clean energy company Enel wants to build a solar panel manufacturing facility in Oklahoma and Gov. Kevin Stitt is asking state lawmakers to support an undisclosed incentive package to seal the deal.

Enel North America is eying the Tulsa Port of Inola as a potential site for the plant, which would create an estimated 1,500 jobs.

Oklahoma is the leading candidate to land the facility and Enel is “excited about the possibility to expand our presence in the state,” Giovanni Bertolino, the head of Enel North America’s 3Sun USA solar panel affiliate, told The Frontier in a statement.

More here

The Inola/Fairoaks area just east of Tulsa is a big focus for the city and state as a new major industrial site with both rail and water access and much closer to workers in metro Tulsa than MAIP in Pryor. And the area is directly adjacent to US-412, which will soon be an Interstate. Pryor's upside over this area is clean hydro power but it's immediate nearby population base is lower and has no port access.

[chssooner]

https://www.readfrontier.org/stories...gh-incentives/

The irony is not lost on me, a state so heavy on a love for O&G (even though the economy is much more diversified than it used to be) wanting so many clean energy jobs. I love it!

But in reality, this would be great for the state!

[Midtowner]

Love to see more solar manufacturers coming online. Especially in Oklahoma.

[soonerguru]

Why is every single major project Stitt pushes associated with that facility east of Tulsa?

[Chicken In The Rough]

Why is every single major project Stitt pushes associated with that facility east of Tulsa?

You took the words right out of my mouth!

[PhiAlpha]

Why is every single major project Stitt pushes associated with that facility east of Tulsa?

It’s all been tech or green energy related. If I were to guess it’s all about abundant/consistent clean energy and/or port access and those are the only areas in the state that have either of the two.

[Swake]

It's two different facilities.

Mid America Industrial Park in Pryor - Google, Canoo, Panasonic
Tulsa Port of Inola in Inola - This solar panel plant, Sofidel

They are about 20 miles from each other. Inola is just east of Tulsa in the Tulsa metro area. Pryor to the northeast is not in the Tulsa metro area.

[Plutonic Panda]

Pyror is definitely part of the Tulsa metro or it soon will be.

[Swake]

Pyror is definitely part of the Tulsa metro or it soon will be.

Mayes County today is not part of the Tulsa MSA or CSA. That will likely change with the Panasonic and other new plants drawing thousands of workers from Claremore/Owasso/Verdigris.

[Plutonic Panda]

Mayes County today is not part of the Tulsa MSA or CSA. That will likely change with the Panasonic and other new plants drawing thousands of workers from Claremore/Owasso/Verdigris.

If any planners had a brain LRT and new freeway ROW would be preserved and a master plan of the area should be developed.

[Swake]

If any planners had a brain LRT and new freeway ROW would be preserved and a master plan of the area should be developed.

What do you think the interstate designation for US-412 is all about?

[Plutonic Panda]

What do you think the interstate designation for US-412 is all about?

Going to need more than that.

[rtz]

Some more to read:

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2023/05/...y-in-oklahoma/

[GaryOKC6]

They have also been looking at Stillwater and Lawton.

[G.Walker]

They have also been looking at Stillwater and Lawton.

Hope it ends up in Lawton, they need a big employer like this to give a economic boost to the city. I always was fond of Lawton because its the largest city in Oklahoma that is not in either the OKC or Tulsa metro areas.

Lawton has been holding their own, with Ft. Sill and the Goodyear plant. But this solar plant would give them a real boost. Everything doesn't have to be in OKC or Tulsa.

[Bunty]

They have also been looking at Stillwater and Lawton.

Surely, the closed Armstrong floor tile plant in Stillwater is available for that. What huge plant does Lawton have that is closed?

[dcsooner]

Surely, the closed Armstrong floor tile plant in Stillwater is available for that. What huge plant does Lawton have that is closed?

That's the point Lawton has ONE large plant (Goodyear). Once the 3rd largest city in the State it has been stagnant for 30+ years and is now in decline. Nothing but a shell of itself when I was in high school. Young people with ambition leaving in droves after high school

[G.Walker]

They have https://lawtonedc.com/, to help with business expansions. I would not be surprised if this ends up in Lawton. Nice blue collar town with hard workers. The population in Lawton is actually starting to increase over the that two years. Would like to see it hit 100,000 by 2030. But that will only happen by bringing in businesses like this one, and this would be a start to momentum for Lawton.

[Jake]

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/en...03f10ca71.html

Good for Tulsa.

[Bellaboo]

Good for Tulsa and good for Oklahoma too.

[G.Walker]

Good, but with so many big plants concentrated in one area, this area will never be livable because of all the pollution these plants emit in the air, ground, and water.

There is reason these plants are placed in rural areas in the middle of nowhere, outside of major city limits.

[GaryOKC6]

Here are the talking points they gave me.
Why is Enel making plans for a solar manufacturing facility in the US?
o Demand-and-supply imbalances, changes in regulation and logistics disruptions
have led to a higher risk of lead time increases and extra costs for solar projects.
Building domestic solar manufacturing in the US helps meet this significant
demand from solar developers.
● What’s the timeline for operations?
o The company plans to begin construction by fall 2023. On this timeline, the
company anticipates the facility to have a minimum production capacity of 3 GW
with the possibility to scale production to 6 GW annually.
● Where will the facility be located? What factors are being considered?
o Enel has selected a site in Inola, Oklahoma for the planned facility.
o The company is considering land availability, the presence of a skilled workforce,
connections to transportation networks, and tax and incentive structures in
making its siting decision.
● How large will the facility be – both physically and by product capacity?
o Enel has previously announced initial plans to consider building a facility in the
US on par with its 3 GW “gigafactory” expansion underway in Catania, Italy.
INTERNAL
o At this time, the company expects to build at least a 3 GW facility, with the
potential for up to 6 GW. This represents approximately 2.5M square feet of
facility space.
● What’s the total investment expected to build the facility? Is Enel financing it
entirely with its own resources?
o Plans for the project represent an investment of over 1 billion USD.
o Financing for the facility is still to be determined. Enel may utilize its own
resources or partner with a third-party co-investor, in acc

[GaryOKC6]

Sorry, it cut off the last part.

Financing for the facility is still to be determined. Enel may utilize its own
resources or partner with a third-party co-investor, in accordance with its
“stewardship” model.

[GaryOKC6]

Here are some specifics. https://www.enelnorthamerica.com/3sun-usa

[Jake]

This project has apparently "stalled." I've gotten to the point where if a large announcement like this is announced for the state going forward I will just assume it will eventually fizzle out.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news...d/75837021007/