The City of Selkirk, Manitoba was chosen as the preferred location for the new Canadian Premium Sand solar glass manufacturing facility.

The decision follows an extensive evaluation of possible options in Canada and the United States.

Selkirk provides logistical, operational efficiency and environmental advantages over alternatives: it is 160km from CPS’s high grade silica sand quarry operation; has abundant and cost-efficient supplies of natural gas, renewable hydroelectricity and industrial grade water; has good rail and highway infrastructure with direct connection to the major logistics hub in Winnipeg, Manitoba; access to a sizeable labour pool encompassing management, engineering, technical, trades and semi-skilled personnel; the industrial zoned land parcels can accommodate the initial manufacturing facility with room to accommodate growth ambitions; and the community’s vision of sustainable and responsible commercial development for the next 30+ years aligns with the company.

The site will produce high specification patterned solar glass utilising a rolled plate process and provides around 300 direct employment opportunities once in operation.

The glass will predominately be used in the manufacture of solar panels in North America, a rapidly expanding industry driven by an objective to decarbonise the electrical grid with solar power’s proportional contribution increasing from 5% today to as much as 40% by 2035.

“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," stated Glenn Leroux, President and CEO of CPS.

www.cpsglass.com

Image: Plans move forward for the only manufacturer of patterned solar glass in North America.