Solar glass manufacturer Canadian Premium Sand Inc. (CPS) announced that it has zeroed down on the City of Selkirk, Manitoba for its solar glass manufacturing facility. The company zeroed down on this location after extensively evaluating other options in Canada and the United States.
The Company's manufacturing facility will produce high specification patterned solar glass and will utilize a rolled manufacturing process. Once in operation, this facility is expected to generate about 300 direct employment opportunities.
As of today, there are no facilities in North America that produce this type of glass. All solar panels manufactured in North America using patterned solar glass are made with glass imported from China and other Asia Pacific countries.
Speaking on this development, President and CEO of CPS Glenn Leroux said, "It is difficult to imagine a better location than the City of Selkirk and the Province of Manitoba for our solar glass manufacturing facility based on the criteria we set. Collaborating with the City of Selkirk has been extremely positive, highly professional and I commend their drive to realize their community's vision for sustainable economic development."
Reacting to this, Director of Sustainable Economic Development at the City of Selkirk Tim Feduniw said, "We are very pleased CPS has selected Selkirk to build and operate its solar glass facility. This initiative aligns with our commitment to sustainable development and will create significant economic benefits for our community."
The facility in Selkirk will add significantly to the sustainability and supply chain security for CPS's solar panel manufacturing clients. The company also believes that its glass manufacturing facility will be the anchor industry for an expanding centre of excellence, enabling other complementary businesses to locate in Manitoba.
According to the company, CPS's products will predominately be used in the manufacture of solar panels in North America, which is driven by an objective to decarbonize the electrical grid with solar power's proportional contribution increasing from today's 5% to as much as 40% by 2035.