There is finally some serious cause for optimism. Andrew Eder, writing in today’s News-Journal, reports that the Boxwood GM plant is attracting a lot of interest:
Fisker Automotive confirmed Tuesday that it has talked with Delaware officials and toured the Boxwood Road assembly plant, idle since late July when General Motors closed the factory.
The company is developing a next-generation electric car under a program called Project Nina, which will be financed with a $359 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Boxwood Road plant had a maximum capacity of about 250,000 vehicles a year but was producing far fewer in the years before its closing. Fisker Automotive has said it plans to build 75,000 to 100,000 vehicles a year under Project Nina.
The company has also said it plans to export half its vehicles, so the proximity to the Port of Wilmington could be an advantage. And Fisker would have a ready pool of skilled auto workers to choose from in and around Delaware.
I’m really encouraged by the fact that, according to Eder, Alan Levin of the Delaware Economic Development Office, has asked to meet with the UAW’s Sam Lathem. That’s a good sign. And Fisker is not the only interested company. Both the bodacious Tata Company out of India and the Penske Automotive Group have expressed interest, according to Eder.
While the Boxwood plant will likely never employ as many workers as GM did in its heyday, this would be a huge boost to the state’s workforce and to Markell’s plans to make Delaware a green jobs powerhouse. Man, I really hope that this deal gets done.