The head of a planned solar panel factory near Tulsa is giving more details about the project.
Giovanni Bertolino is the head of 3Sun USA, a subsidiary of Enel, the Italian green energy manufacturer that’s pledged to build a large solar panel facility in the Port of Inola.
Bertolino said a second phase of the facility project will bring even more jobs over time. "By the end of 2025, we’ll be at 1,000 employees," he said. "At some point in 2027, I think we will be at 2,000 employees."
Bertolino also said the incentives provided to the company by the state, which included stipulations from the Perform Act and which total over $218 million, was the final step in deciding to put the plant in Inola.
“Was this a determining factor? Yes, indeed it was," Bertolino said. "The fact that Oklahoma was able to change their framework and transform it into the Perform Act was really the trigger point that allowed us to say, ‘Okay, Oklahoma is the right place.'"
The factory is planned for construction starting late 2023.
