Irish data center power manufacturer opens first US plant in James City County

An Irish energy infrastructure manufacturer focused on data centers has established its first U.S. plant in James City County, a $5.225 million investment expected to create 250 jobs within the next year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.

Dublin, Ireland-based CEL Critical Power‘s new 400,000-square-foot facility will produce power systems that will serve data centers throughout the United States. CEL already has 50 employees at its new facility across engineering, research and development, finance, management and sales. The number of jobs is expected to rise to 500 by 2030, Youngkin said.

“We are thrilled to welcome CEL to Virginia as they establish their first-ever American manufacturing site right here in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Everyone involved in this project moved at the speed of Virginia to make this possible, and the impact is already being felt on the ground.”

The company has signed a long-term lease on a recently constructed manufacturing facility for the project. According to a company spokesperson, CEL’s news facility has been operational since June this year and has been shipping finished products to its US customers since July.

Right now, CEL is manufacturing from just 165,000 square feet of space but it expects to expand into the rest of the facility over the coming years as demand grows.

In a statement, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Juan Pablo Segura said the facility’s location shows “the positive ripple effects” of data center growth.

“With this new plant, we are ensuring every dollar invested in Virginia data centers stays in Virginia,” he said. “For data centers in other parts of the country or the world, Virginia is uniquely positioned to provide fast, reliable transportation of the products they need.”

CEL Managing Director Niall McFadden, an Irish investor, thanked Youngkin for his support of the project in a statement.

Founded in 1982, CEL Critical Power designs and manufactures power solutions for the global artificial intelligence and cloud industry. Products include low-voltage power distribution systems, switchgear equipment and remote power panels.

The company says its products are able to handle increased workloads of the next generation of AI microchips, such as those designed by Nvidia.

The topic of increased energy demands driven by the development of more data centers and increased use of AI has become a major source of controversy in Virginia, as some localities have rejected such projects. According to Dominion Energy, the state’s energy demand is expected to increase 5% each year over the next 20 years and double by 2045, leaving the utility and state lawmakers grappling with how best to produce  needed electricity.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with James City County and the Hampton Roads Alliance to secure the project for Virginia. CEL will also be supported through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consulting services and funding to companies creating jobs at no cost to the businesses.