Big deals

These economic development announcements were some of the largest in Virginia for 2023 and the first half of 2024:

CENTRAL VIRGINIA

Chesterfield County: In April, the offices of U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan announced that Danish electrolyzer manufacturer Topsoe plans to build a $400 million manufacturing facility with the assistance of $136 million in construction-related federal tax credits. The new plant, which will manufacture Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) stacks used in the production of renewable hydrogen, is expected to create 150 jobs.

Chesterfield County: Condair Group, a Swiss humidification systems manufacturer, announced in June that it would invest $57.2 million in a new production plant. Initially, workers at the facility will focus on manufacturing products for the large-scale industrial cooling needs of the data center industry. The company plans to retrofit an existing 400,000-square-foot warehouse at 1410 Willis Road for its facility, which it anticipates will create 180 jobs.

Prince George County: Florida’s PGT Innovations, a manufacturer and supplier of windows and doors, announced plans in November 2023 to retrofit the former Rolls-Royce facility in the Crosspointe Logistics Center for use as a new plant for its wholly owned subsidiary Triple Diamond Glass. With an investment of $54.3 million, PGT Innovations, expects the venture to create 659 jobs.

EASTERN VIRGINIA

Chesapeake: A South Korean cable manufacturer’s U.S. subsidiary, LS GreenLink USA, announced in July plans to build a $681 million subsea cable manufacturing plant in Chesapeake, producing an expected 338 jobs. The cables will be used for offshore wind farms, and this would be the first such plant in the United States.

Newport News: Liebherr Mining Equipment announced in June that it will invest $72.3 million to expand its plant at the border of Newport News and Hampton, creating an estimated 175 jobs. The manufacturer of industrial-scale mining trucks used to transport material at open-cast mining operations has more than 550 employees.

Norfolk: In November 2023, Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, began production on an eight-acre satellite campus at Fairwinds Landing to support the shipyard’s growing nuclear-powered military aircraft carrier component manufacturing workforce. Anticipating an investment of $100 million over five years, NNS expects the expansion — its first satellite campus — to create 150 jobs.

Virginia Beach: With an investment of $350 million, e-tailer Amazon announced in September 2023 that it plans to build a 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center and a delivery center in Virginia Beach, producing more than 1,000 jobs. The delivery station is expected to open for this year’s holiday season, and the fulfillment center is set to come online in late 2025.

Virginia Beach: Virginia Beach’s Doma Technologies announced in November 2023 that it plans to invest $3.7 million in an expansion that will include a new 69,000-square-foot facility. The cloud-based software company anticipates that the expanded operations will create 307 jobs over the next three years.

LYNCHBURG/ ROANOKE/ NEW RIVER VALLEY

Lynchburg: French nuclear power company Framatome announced in December 2023 that it would invest $49.4 million to expand its U.S. headquarters in Lynchburg. Framatome, which has operated in Lynchburg since 1989, expects the expansion to create 515 jobs. Groundbreaking took place in April.

Roanoke County: In February, San Francisco-based banking giant Wells Fargo announced plans for an expansion of its commercial offices that is expected to create 1,100 jobs. The $87 million expansion will make Wells Fargo the largest employer in Roanoke County.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Arlington County: In February, online real estate company CoStar Group announced plans to relocate its global corporate headquarters from Washington, D.C., to the Central Place Tower in Rosslyn, which it purchased for $339 million. Investing $20 million in the move, CoStar Group will bring around 500 current corporate employees to the new headquarters and anticipates adding 150 positions.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

Rockbridge County: Wisconsin’s Modine Manufacturing said in March that it will invest $18.1 million in the expansion of its Rockbridge facility. The manufacturer of data center cooling equipment anticipates that the growth will create around 211 jobs.

Waynesboro: In February, aerospace and defense contractor Northrop Grumman began construction on a 315,000-square-foot electronics manufacturing and testing facility. Investing more than $200 million in the venture, the Fortune 500 company expects the facility to create roughly 300 manufacturing and engineering jobs over the next five years.

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

Halifax County: In June, Hitachi Energy announced plans to invest $26 million to expand its South Boston facility, where transformers are made. Expected to create about 100 jobs, the move comes as the company is increasing global transformer production worldwide, investing $1.5 billion toward the goal.

Henry County: In August 2023, Poland’s Press Glass said it plans to invest $155.2 million in the expansion of its plant in Ridgeway. Expected to create about 335 jobs by 2025, nearly doubling the facility’s workforce, the investment is the largest in Henry County’s history.

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

Russell County: Data center storage rack manufacturer Tate announced in November 2023 it was moving into a vacant 280,000-square-foot plant in St. Paul, near the Russell-Wise counties border. The $14.9 million renovation is expected to create 170 jobs over four years, and the plant opened in January.