TSEA Energy to build new voltage regulator factory in North Carolina

TSEA Energy, a manufacturer of energy infrastructure equipment, announced March 24 it would spend $25 million to build a new voltage regulator factory in Eden, North Carolina. The site will be the Brazil-based company’s first U.S. plant. According to the company, the facility will create 160 jobs as it ramps up manufacturing operations by the end of the year.

In a company release, TSEA said the factory will produce single-phase step voltage regulators for sale in the U.S. TSEA CEO Beto Reynaldo said the expansion represents the company’s long-term commitment to the U.S. energy infrastructure market as it plans to double its global manufacturing capacity.

Voltage regulators are used in electrical distribution systems, especially those involving solar panels and battery storage systems, to keep voltage levels stable, the company said. The 160,000-square-foot facility will produce regulators rated to 1100A nominal current and 36.2 kV nominal voltage.

In a separate statement, the North Carolina governor’s office said the site will increase investment in the area. The average salary for new positions on site will be $66,554, the governor’s office said, about $20,000 more than the county’s average salary. To secure the site, the state granted TSEA $300,000 in contingent grants from the One North Carolina Fund to a company TSEA founded to facilitate the construction. The company is on the hook to invest $17 million and create 106 jobs before it can collect the money.

What people are saying

“The agreement with the State of North Carolina represents an important step in our international expansion and reinforces our long-term commitment to the U.S. market,” said Beto Reynaldo, Chief Executive Officer of TSEA. “We also value the strength of the country’s skilled manufacturing workforce and the opportunity to support the modernization of the U.S. power grid. This facility will be dedicated to serving the U.S. market and will allow us to work more closely with utilities as they upgrade and modernize their distribution networks.”

“I am delighted to welcome TSEA Energy to North Carolina and Rockingham County,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Our highly skilled workforce, business-friendly environment, and convenient East Coast location will help them modernize the electrical grid as utilities meet the growing energy demand in our state and our nation.”

“We are excited to welcome more great manufacturing jobs to rural North Carolina,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “Meeting the fast-growing demand for energy at home and beyond is our top class workforce, the largest advanced manufacturing workforce in the southeastern United States, that employers\

Manufacturers investing in South Carolina

Cheney Brothers to expand South Carolina food factory
The expansion at the existing site will create 85 new jobs and cost $42.5 million.

George Utz. Inc. to spend $40 million on new South Carolina factory
The Sumter County site will be home to 50 new jobs.

Huwell US Inc. to spend $11.6 million to establish South Carolina factory, create 25 new jobs
The Italian private label hair and cosmetics company said it expects operations to start this summer.