CLAREMONT – Prysmian has broken ground on a $1.02 billion expansion that will increase fiber and optical cable production and add 385 jobs in Catawba County.
The company held a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 10 at its Claremont campus. Prysmian said the central project will expand glass preform and fiber capacity and create 300 jobs. It also plans to invest about $48 million in optical cable manufacturing operations at the campus, adding another 85 jobs over two years.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce said the project will add nearly 975,000 square feet through a new glass-production facility and upgrades to existing buildings. The expansion is expected to more than double Prysmian’s U.S. fiber-optic production capacity.
Prysmian expects construction to take about 20 months and said the expanded operation should be fully online in 2030.
The company said the added capacity will support a $6.29 billion long-term agreement to supply optical cable to Molex as demand grows from data centers and other digital infrastructure.
The 385 new positions are expected to pay an average annual salary of $60,870, above Catawba County’s reported average of $56,937. At the projected average, the jobs would add more than $23.4 million in annual payroll.
The state approved a performance-based $1 million grant from the One North Carolina Fund. Payments depend on job-creation and investment targets, including at least $665 million in project investment, and require matching local participation.
Prysmian is publicly traded in Italy and operates more than 100 plants worldwide. An independent local report described the Claremont project as the largest manufacturing investment in Catawba County history.