A German company plans to build a wind energy plant and bring 215 new jobs to Gainesville, GA. ZF Group, an automotive industry supplier, said the plant will make wind turbine gearboxes for systems that convert wind energy into electricity. The company will invest $90 million in the project.
The news from ZF Group was the third job-creation announcement in the Atlanta area in the past week.
On Thursday, an Arkansas frozen baked goods maker, De Wafelbakkers, said it will take over an abandoned bakery in Henry County and hire 242 workers over the next three years to make waffles, pancakes and French toast. A day earlier, word came that General Electric will create 400 new jobs in Cobb County when it opens its futuristic Smart Grid Center of Excellence this year.
As for the wind energy plant, it will be built in the Gainesville Business Park, near an existing ZF facility that makes axle drives and transmissions for passenger vehicles and heavy construction equipment. That facility has been in operation about 20 years, state officials said.
“There is a heightened global focus on renewable energy production, and we believe there is an opportunity to leverage our automotive driveline and chassis technology leadership in this exciting and growing alternative energy sector,” ZF executive Elizabeth Umberson said in a statement.
Construction is scheduled to begin immediately, with the plant to open in February 2011. Production is set to start January 2012. The company will receive economic incentives for the project including tax credits, as well as free, customized employee training assistance from the Quick Start program, state officials said.
