Major supplier for Qcells solar panel plant on way
160 jobs and $147M investment due by summer 2024
The first major dividend in Bartow County’s surging green energy boom is on the way.
Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia Inc., which makes lightweight advanced materials for sustainable technology, will create more than 160 jobs in Cartersville thanks to an estimated $147 million manufacturing campus to supply the now-underway Qcells solar panels plant.
It is the third major green energy announcement in a row, first with the massive SK battery plant due on U.S. 411 west of Cartersville unveiled in December, followed by the Qcells solar panel plant in mid-January. They represent more than $7.5 billion in projects now underway. All three projects are expected to add close to 6,000 jobs to the region in 2024 and 2025.
“Georgia is leading the nation in attracting next generation jobs,” said Gov. Brian Kemp in a media release Thursday morning. “Since we first welcomed Qcells to our state in 2018, we’ve announced more than 4,000 related jobs for hardworking Georgians. We’re proud that Hanwha Advanced Materials is adding to that growing number as it becomes a valued member of the Bartow County community.”
Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia is a subsidiary of Hanwha Group — Qcells’ parent company — and will supply Qcells with encapsulant film. These materials are used in solar cells to ensure long-term panel durability. HAGA will be the only company in the United States manufacturing solar encapsulants.
“The products we make are an important piece of the clean energy supply chain puzzle, and we are excited to meet this need,” said Inhwan Kim, CEO of Hanwha Advanced Materials. “Building our cutting-edge, advanced materials in Georgia will not only create new careers in solar but help bring more affordable, reliable clean energy to customers across the country.”
“Qcells is doubling down on building a complete, domestic solar supply chain, and this recent investment is critical to making that happen,” said HG Park, president of Qcells North America. “Working with Hanwha Advanced Materials, our customers will soon be able to confidently know that the solar they buy from us was made right here in America.”
HAGA will build at Highland 75 Corporate/Industrial Park adjacent to Qcells and should be ready by summer 2024. The company will be hiring engineers and line operators. Interested individuals can learn more about working at HAGA by visiting Hwam.co.kr.
“Our community is thrilled to be adding another Hanwha affiliate to our growing family of industries,” said Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini. “Our mix of industries in Cartersville and Bartow County is further diversified by adding them to our local mix, and one of our goals from the beginning was to recruit world-class companies to our area... It is also important to note that this is another clean energy company coming to our community, illustrating the growth and importance of that market.”
“This news is a testament of our community’s patient planning efforts to jumpstart quality economic development years ago, after difficult economic times,” said Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor. “Their jobs of the future will be appreciated by not only jobs seekers but also the broad local team that has invested so much effort in preparing a place like... Highland 75 Corporate/Industrial Park.”
Project Manager Jacob Lee represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce team on this project in partnership with the BartowCartersville Joint Development Authority, CartersvilleBartow County Department of Economic Development, Georgia Electric Membership Corp. and Georgia Quick Start.
“Hanwha Advanced Materials provides key components for the solar supply chain in Georgia, supporting our state’s commitment to making energy solutions more affordable to businesses and consumers,” said state Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Over the past five years, clean-tech jobs have been one of the fastest growing manufacturing sectors in Georgia.”
The announcement is the latest in a string of major projects coming to Bartow County. Ground was broken this week for the Qcells’ campus at Highland 75. At least 2,000 jobs will be coming to Cartersville/Bartow County as part of the company’s $2.5 billion expansion — which includes a third plant near Dalton as well as the first in Bartow.
In December, an electric vehicle battery plant with 3,500 jobs was announced at Bartow Centre off U.S. 411 on the Rome side of Cartersville. It is scheduled to be in service in 2025. The development plan for the $5 billion EV battery plant — a partnership between SK On and Hyundai Motor Group — continues with some ground clearing already underway.