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Jacksonville City Council OKs $3.4M for Chinese solar manufacturer

Plant to set up in Cecil Commerce Center, pledges 200 jobs by end of 2019

Man installing alternative energy photovoltaic solar panels on roof

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City Council members unanimously approved nearly $3.4 million of financial incentives Tuesday for JinkoSolarΒ Industries Inc. to set up a solar panel manufacturing facility on Jacksonville's Westside, Jacksonville Daily Record reported.

JinkoSolar pledged to hire 200 employees at an average salary of $45,562 by year-end 2019. The economic development agreement between the company and the city was approved without discussion.

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β€œThis is probably one of the biggest things we’ve ever done,” Council Vice President Aaron Bowman told the Daily Record. β€œIt may not be the biggest project, but Jinko is probably the No. 1 or No. Β 2 solar company in the world, and they chose Jacksonville.”

The company agreed to lease most of a 407,435-square-foot building at Cecil Commerce Center and plans to $50.5 million in the facility.

JinkoSolar,Β a subsidiary of a Shanghai, China-based company, would be the first Chinese company to establish a U.S. solar-product operation after President Donald Trump approved a 30 percent tariff in January on imported solar panel technology, the Daily Record reported.