Construction begins on Edwards Vacuum plant near Batavia

Construction has started on the first phase of the $319 million Edwards Vacuum dry-pump manufacturing facility, located in the Genesee County town of Alabama, near Batavia. Edwards Vacuum is a United Kingdom–based multinational company that specializes in vacuum and abatement equipment for the semiconductor industry, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an April 26 joint announcement with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.). It is part of the Atlas Copco Group and chose the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in Genesee County as the location for its new U.S. dry-pump manufacturing facility. The technology produced at the new facility is a “vital component” to controlling the “highly sensitive environment” of semiconductor-manufacturing processes, per Hochul’s office. Edwards Vacuum’s decision to invest in New York state followed passage of the federal CHIPS and Science Act, New York’s Green CHIPS legislation, and the domestic semiconductor industry growth that the complementary government programs have spurred. That growth includes Micron’s $100 billion plan for a semiconductor campus in the town of Clay, which is expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs, Hochul’s office noted. Construction on the $127 million first phase of Edwards Vacuum’s 240,000 square-foot campus will include manufacturing, warehouse, and administration facilities, with a capacity to produce 10,000 dry pumps per year. The all-electric facility will strive for LEED certification, with a majority of the power generated via hydroelectricity. Edwards dry pumps are currently manufactured in Asia. By bringing manufacturing to New York, Edwards customers — including Micron and GlobalFoundries in New York, and Intel in Ohio — will experience shorter wait times, improved responsiveness and reduced CO2 emissions from an American-made product. Edwards Vacuum estimates that when phase one is operational, it will reduce CO2 emissions by 13,000 tons per year. Empire State Development (ESD) has awarded Edwards Vacuum up to $21 million through a combination of performance-based Excelsior Jobs tax credits and investment tax credits in exchange for 600 jobs. ESD also awarded an additional $1 million to support workforce-development efforts and the training of a diverse and inclusive workforce. “The start of construction for Edwards Vacuum’s new facility signals that hundreds of good jobs and millions of dollars in investments are headed to Upstate New York,” Hope Knight, president, CEO, and commissioner of Empire State Development, said in the state’s announcement. “We are well on our way to becoming a global hub for advanced manufacturing and building a strong semiconductor ecosystem in New York State.” The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is also supporting the project though a 4.9-megawatt (MW) low-cost Niagara hydropower allocation and a 2.1 MW of high load factor power allocation that NYPA will procure for Edwards Vacuum on the energy market.