ABB breaks ground on new HV cable factory

ABB Huntersville High-Voltage Cable Plant will manufacture underground transmission cables for AC and DC smart grid networks, connecting renewable energy like wind and solar, boosting Charlotte's Energy Hub, and creating skilled North Carolina jobs.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue and ABB celebrated the groundbreaking of a new high-voltage cable manufacturing plant recently.

The new facility, located at the Commerce Station Business Park in Huntersville, will supply high-voltage and extra high-voltage transmission cables to carry electric power underground. These smart grid-compliant cables, for use in both AC and DC applications, will strengthen America’s energy infrastructure and, alongside ABB initiatives such as its plan to acquire Tropos Networks for smart grid communications, enable power from renewable resources, like wind and solar, to reach homes and businesses.

ABB is investing approximately $90 million in the new manufacturing facility, building on its acquisitions of IKS and Baldor to scale operations, which will employ more than 100 people in various professional and technical fields.

“These are the sort of 21st century jobs that are not only putting North Carolinians back to work but are helping our state steadily climb out of the recession,” Gov. Perdue said. “The workers in these new jobs will be building the smart grid, including fiber-optic lines needed for communications, and we welcome companies like ABB that are willing to invest in our state and position North Carolina as a leader in the power industry.”

The facility is scheduled to open by late 2012.

The facility is the newest addition to Charlotte’s new Energy Hub, an initiative to increase the Charlotte area’s role in the energy industry nationwide and, with regional utilities such as Duke Energy receiving stimulus funding, create a sustainable economic plan. It is projected that the building of the plant will contribute more than $20 million to the local economy, and once running, more than $5 million annually. It is also projected that for every job created at the plant, another would be created in the surrounding area to meet the increased demand for everything from groceries to healthcare services.

“We welcome ABB as yet another key player in our growing and vibrant energy sector. Their decision to build their North American cable operations in Charlotte-Mecklenburg clearly demonstrates our competitiveness in becoming an emerging energy capital in the U.S.,” said Bob Morgan, president, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

Following the plant’s construction, hiring will begin in the second half of 2011. Job opportunities will be posted in the Careers section of ABB's website at www.abb.us/careers and the N.C. Employment Security Commission’s website at www.ncesc.com.

ABB already employs over 1,500 people statewide in manufacturing and other facilities, including Cary, Raleigh, Pinetops, Kings Mountain, Weaverville and Marion, and, after completing its Baldor acquisition the company continues expanding operations across the state. ABB’s North American corporate headquarters are located in Cary and its North American Power headquarters are in Raleigh.

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