EDITOR’S NOTE:
The project records appearing every week in the Site Selection Project Bulletin are pulled from the
Conway Projects Database, a proprietary resource with tens of thousands of records
of corporate end-user facility investments across all industry sectors and all world
geographies. Want to look for our projects yourself? Look
here.
Google Drives Innovation in the United Kingdom
Google expands in the United Kingdom to support Google Cloud customers and Google users.
Photo courtesy of Google
Last week, Google announced that it would be investing $1 billion to deliver critical technical infrastructure that will aid innovation and tech-led growth in the United Kingdom. The company plans to construct a new data center 12 miles north of London in the town of Waltham Cross. With a goal of having Google’s portfolio of data centers powered by carbon-free energy, this location will run on energy generated by the Moray West wind farm in Scotland. The 33-acre site is the latest investment Google has planned in the UK, following the $1 billion purchase in early 2022 of the Central Saint Giles complex in London where the company was leasing space while it constructs a new HQ in Kings Cross two miles away.
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India’s Life Sciences Hub Expands
The city of Hyderabad supports more than 1,000 innovators in the life sciences industry.
Photo courtesy of the Government of Telangana
Aragen Life Sciences officials are confident in the future of India’s city of Hyderabad as a hub for Contract Research Organizations (CROs). Which is why the company has invested $241 million to expand its Hyderabad site in the state of Telangana. This project supports efforts within drug discovery, development and manufacturing. “Hyderabad has emerged as the undisputed national headquarters for CROs and CDMOs like Aragen over the years,” said Aragen Life Sciences Director and CEO Manni Kantipudi. “Hyderabad offers modern infrastructure, access to the best scientific talent in the country, a strong network of suppliers, and an ecosystem that allows for innovation in digital technologies.” The investment will create 1,500 new jobs.
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Europe Covered with WACKER
Silicone produced at the Czech Republic site will be used to protect sensitive electronic components.
Photo courtesy of WACKER
Chemicals company Wacker Chemie AG has a new $106.2 million facility planned in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The investment was made thanks to rising interest in electromobility and renewable energy, both of which utilize specialty silicone for production processes. Karlovy Vary’s strategic location supports the company’s three operations throughout Germany — the company’s Burghausen location will supply raw materials as production begins. This site will produce room-temperature-curing silicone by 2025 and include high-temperature-curing silicone at a later date. About 200 jobs are expected to be created at the site, which will produce 20,000 tons of custom silicone per year.
Reports compiled, written and edited by Alexis Elmore and Adam Bruns
Iraqi opportunities. These two words don’t seem a good match, unless perhaps in the context of the oil or security businesses. But the phrase makes sense in Iraqi Kurdistan, the autonomous northern region of Iraq, where early commercial investors are now on the scene. Across many areas of Iraq, peace is fragile and daily life can still be unpredictably dangerous. But growth is returning to Iraqi Kurdistan led from its capital, Erbil. Brands such as Sheraton, Hilton, Porsche and Sony are entering Kurdistan looking to access the potential of this region of 4 million people. Nissan has opened its largest service center in the Middle East, and its new airport, opened in 2005, has one of the longest runways in the world.
Ingenuity, access and a surprisingly diversified economy make for a bountiful business harvest in North Dakota. It’s a place where seeding the future still means something quite literal. Energy may rule the headlines, but ag still rules the roost, employing 24 percent of the state’s population in related industries and driving some $4 billion in cash receipts.
