GE starts $50M manufacturing facility

CLEARWATER — GE Energy Management has started construction on a new 190,000-square-foot manufacturing Center of Excellence in Clearwater. The new facility will encompass GE's existing manufacturing facility for instrument transformers, as well as space for the company to manufacture capacitors. GE plans to create 250 new jobs as part of the project.

The Center of Excellence is scheduled to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2015.

The $50 million manufacturing facility represents a reinvestment in Clearwater, where GE has had presence for almost 40 years. The company has 430 employees in Clearwater and 4,400 statewide.

“The expansion of GE Energy Management in Clearwater is a great boost for Florida's cleantech and manufacturing industries,” president and CEO of Enterprise Florida Gray Swoope, says in a press release. “Florida's position in both industries is rising as more and more companies in those sectors look to locate and expand here. World leaders like GE have been leading the energy industry from Florida for decades and we look forward to their continued growth.”

The new facility will create products for sale across the world, including as far way as Southeast Asia and South America.

GE says the project was made possible with the help of Enterprise Florida, the city of Clearwater, Pinellas County, Duke Energy, Pinellas County Economic Development and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.