Stion to cut ribbon on new solar panel plant

HATTIESBURG — Stion, a manufacturer of high-efficiency thin-film solar modules, is officially opening its new factory in Hattiesburg.

The company will hold an on-site ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon with Gov. Haley Barbour and other state and local officials in attendance.

The project, which is the first thin-film solar factory in the Southeast, will deliver more than 1,000 jobs and $500 million of investment over the next six years.

The first phase of the project includes a 100-megawatt line, which will entail more than $100 million of investment and 200 direct jobs in 2011 and 2012.

Since announcing the Hattiesburg site in January, San Jose, Calif.-based Stion reports it has hired 100 employees locally and implemented recruiting and training programs with Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Production from the project’s first phase will begin later this year.