Thousands of Chattanoogans drive daily on South Broad Street between downtown and Lookout Mountain, passing the France-based Alstom Power Services plant on the Tennessee River, without realizing how important Alstom’s operations are here.
Now we have new reasons to notice!
Alstom long had provided about 600 good local jobs. It currently is in the process of adding about 350 more!
What does Alstom do?
It makes steam turbines, gas turbines, big turbo-generators and related equipment for fossil-fuel and nuclear power generation.
Alstom Power President Philippe Joubert said: “Our new Chattanooga factory dramatically enhances Alstom’s ability to build and retrofit power generation equipment for customers in North America and beyond.
“Coupled with Alstom’s recent investments in carbon capture and sequestration and wind turbine production in the U.S., this unit represents another important step in executing our clean power strategy.”
Alstom’s Senior Vice President Guy Chardon and Senior Vice President Anne Guerin-Moens visited the Times Free Press yesterday to explain how Alstom is working toward Alstom’s big expansion of its Chattanooga facilities.
“Chattanooga is an ideal place for the manufacture of large power equipment because of its central location in the country and its excellent access to road, rail and waterways,” the Alstom people say. “The facility features an on-site barge dock with a lifting capacity of up to 1,000 tons.”
Chattanooga is very fortunate to be a large part of Alstom’s facilities in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The company has 6,000 permanent employees worldwide, with 2008-9 sales over $4 billion. Alstom’s plant sites include France, Germany, Switzerland and China
Half of the power plants in the United States have Alstom equipment — with much of it made — and more to be made — in Chattanooga.
Alstom and Chattanooga long have been “good neighbors” with mutual benefits, making important products for service throughout the world.
Alstom’s good news of the Chattanooga expansion here is certainly welcomed.