A dozen Jacksonville jobs for JinkoSolar posted on Indeed.com as of Thursday further confirm the China-based solar-panel manufacturing company is Project Volt.
City Council approved up to $24.6 million in tax incentives Tuesday for the unidentified Volt, which the Daily Record reported Jan. 8 matched the description of Shanghai-based JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd.
The 12 jobs include managers for facilities, logistics, C&B for compensation and benefits, manufacturing, ER for employee relations, L&D for training, administration, legal, process engineering, equipment engineering and construction as well as deputy general manager.
All are full-time jobs.
The facilities manager posting states that JinkoSolar, one of the world’s largest solar companies, “will soon set up two plants in Jacksonville, Florida.”
The postings outline the need for top-level managers to set up and run the functions, which Volt documents and legislation show will be manufacturing and distribution of solar panels and modules.
The L&D posting lists under requirements that “proficient in Chinese language is an added advantage.” That manager will be responsible to develop and implement human resource development programs.
Volt promises 800 jobs by year-end 2019 at an average salary of $45,562.
Volt would lease a 407,353-square-foot manufacturing plant at AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center and an 815,000-squarefoot distribution center at 2969 Faye Road in North Jacksonville.
The space is a significant 1.2 million square feet of industrial space. Volt promised to invest $410 million into the two facilities.
City Council approved almost $25 million in city-backed incentives and the state pledged at least $29 million in grants and tax breaks.
The city description for Project Volt states that it also will set up its U.S. headquarters in Jacksonville.
JinkoSolar has not responded to requests for comment and the city declined to identify Volt.
A Google search Jan. 5 found two LinkedIn job entries for a “Sr. HR Manager Job” and a “Human Resources Manager” for JinkoSolar in Jacksonville.
JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. Is publicly traded and maintains an office for JinkoSolar (U.S.) Inc. in San Francisco. The Indeed.com postings include a job opening for a controller in that office.
JinkoSolar Co. Ltd. calls itself a “rapidly growing, vertically integrated photovoltaic module manufacturer.”
JinkoSolar, which was publicly listed on the NYSE in 2010, was established in 2006. It announced in October 2010 that it was setting up a U.S. subsidiary with an office in San Francisco that was expected to function as a marketing and service base.
A decision by JinkoSolar to set up a U.S. solar panel manufacturing plant would coincide with President Donald Trump’s decision announced Jan. 22 to impose duties of up to 30 percent on solar equipment made abroad.
Bloomberg.com said the duties are lower than the 35 percent rate the U.S. International Trade Commission recommended in October after it found imported panels were harming American manufacturers.
Bloomberg said the idea behind the tariffs is to raise the costs of cheap imports, particularly from Asia, and level the playing field for those who manufacture the parts domestically.