CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Officials say 1,150 workers are currently being employed to build a polysilicon plant in Clarksville and that number is expected to increase.
The $1.2 billion Hemlock Semiconductor facility is scheduled to be finished in 2012 and production is expected to start later that year.
Meanwhile, officials say the construction work force at the site is expected to peak at 1,500 by the middle of next year.
Hemlock has also started a training program for production operators.
Michigan-based Hemlock Semiconductor is a joint venture between Dow Corning Corp. and two Japanese companies, Shin-Etsu Handotai Co. and Mitsubishi Materials Corp.
Polysilicon is a raw material used to make solar cells and semiconductor devices.
