SALEM -- Gov. Ted Kulongoski plans to ride Northwest Airlines' first nonstop flight from Portland to Amsterdam on March 29, courting European companies considering big investments in Oregon.
Kulongoski's aides say he'll meet with manufacturers eyeing the state for solar- and wind-industry plants whose presence could spawn thousands of jobs in Oregon's growing renewable-energy sector. The governor will visit the capital of the Netherlands, Germany and possibly other countries.
"We've got a number of companies over there that we've been talking with, both in Amsterdam and in Germany," said Tim McCabe, the governor's economic-development policy adviser, adding that negotiations were preliminary. "Hopefully, when we're over there, we'll be able to make some announcements."
Kulongoski, who has traveled to China, Japan and South Korea as governor, is promoting Oregon as a location for renewable-energy manufacturing, noting eco-friendly laws, tax incentives and social attitudes. State officials are trying especially to recruit a factory for making polysilicon, the raw material in solar-panel cells, believing that a plant would then attract companies downstream in the industry.
Panel makers are scrambling for polysilicon, which is in short supply as solar demand explodes. "It's actually more valuable than money" to solar manufacturing companies, Allen Alley, the governor's deputy chief of staff, said. More here.
No comments:
Post a Comment