Dow Chemical Subsidary Boosts Clean Energy Jobs in Tennessee

In November 2009, a subsidiary of Alliance Associate Dow Chemical began construction on a new facility that will create hundreds of new clean energy jobs in Tennessee.

The company is Hemlock Semiconductor Group, a joint venture between Dow Corning Corporation (jointly owned by Corning Inc and Dow Chemical) and two other companies. Its new Clarksville facility will manufacture polycrystalline silicon for the expanding solar industry, and is expected to provide 10,000 metric tons initially before expanding capacity up to 21,000 metric tons. The project calls for 800 construction jobs and 500 full time jobs, once the plant opens in 2012.

To meet the facility’s workforce needs, Hemlock Semiconductor has been working with Austin Peay State University, to which it donated $2 million in laboratory equipment. In addition, the Tennessee Board of Regents recently approved the university’s new associate’s degree program that will train potential employees in this field.

“Green jobs are real, and it is essential that we focus on training and retraining of our workforce if the United States expects to become a leader in alternative energy technologies,” said Stephanie A. Burns, Dow Corning chairman, president and CEO. “Now is the time to make decisions about how we generate power for our children and grandchildren and to plant the seeds of innovation that will be harvested into rewarding careers for the next generation.”