JinkoSolar chooses Jacksonville, 200 jobs expected

An Chinese solar company is bringing 200 jobs to Jacksonville.

JinkoSolar will invest more than $50 million in a nee solar panel warehouse at Cecil Commerce Center.

“There’s probably 20 to 25 Tier One solar manufacturers and Jinko is right up there in the top,” said Jacksonville Councilman Aaron Bowman. “So for them to come here, speaks volumes.”

The city of Jacksonville plans to approve an economic benefits package for JinkoSolar by the end of March.

That package includes $3.2 million in grant funding, and $200,000 in tax incentives. The state will match $800,000.

Bowman couldn’t comment on whether JinkoSolar is connected to “Project Volt.”

In January, city leaders approved a larger incentives package in connection with Project Volt.

That package would offer a solar company $53 million between the city and state. The company would create 800 jobs.

The one similarity is the warehouse on Cecil Commerce Center, where the solar panels will be built. This was the same building tied to Project Volt. This is leading many to wonder whether JinkoSolar is a scaled-down version of Project Volt.

When Action News Jax acknowledged how different the economic incentive packages were, Bowman said the city has worked hard to determine “what the company needs and how much they can take on.”

Cox Media Group