Boviet Solar, a Vietnamese-based company with offices in the U.S, Germany, and China, is set to establish its first North American solar panel manufacturing plant in eastern North Carolina. The company announced its plans at an East Carolina University news conference with Gov. Roy Cooper and other government officials. The plant will be located 85 miles east of Raleigh in Greenville and will create over 900 jobs by 2028.
Boviet specializes in making high-end solar panels and photovoltaic modules that are currently used in the U.S by commercial, industrial, and residential customers. The company’s Greenville plant will help increase its capacity worldwide for these products, according to a news release from Gov. Cooper.
The state Commerce Department revealed that Boviet also considered alternative locations for the plant in Phoenix and Atlanta before settling on Greenville. Earlier on Friday, a state panel approved cash incentives of up to $8.3 million over 12 years for Boviet if it meets specific job creation and capital spending requirements. Overall, the company is set to receive $34.6 million in combined state and local incentives for the project.
This influx of foreign investment in North Carolina demonstrates the state’s growing appeal as a hub for international companies looking to expand their operations in the United States. Another Vietnamese company, VinFast, is building a plant in Chatham County that is expected to generate thousands of jobs as well.