Providence, RI – Governor Gina M. Raimondo recently announced that Amgen, a biotechnology company, will expand in Rhode Island with a new $160 million next-generation biomanufacturing plant that will be the first of its kind in the United States.
The facility, which will produce approximately 150 new highly skilled manufacturing jobs and hundreds of construction and validation jobs, will be supported by incentives from the state’s economic development programs.
The new biomanufacturing plant will be built on the current Amgen Rhode Island 75-acre campus in West Greenwich. The new plant will employ proven next-generation biomanufacturing capabilities and manufacture products for the U.S. and global markets. Amgen currently employs 625 full-time employees in Rhode Island.
The next-generation biomanufacturing plant Amgen plans to build incorporates multiple innovative technologies into a single facility and therefore is built in half the construction time with approximately one-half of the operating cost required of a traditional plant. Next-generation biomanufacturing plants require a smaller manufacturing footprint and offer greater environmental benefits, including reduced consumption of water and energy and lower levels of carbon emissions.
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“We are excited that Amgen Rhode Island was chosen as the location to build the new biomanufacturing plant,” said Tia Bush, vice president of operations at Amgen Rhode Island. “It is a testament to our skilled, dedicated workforce and Amgen’s continued presence in Rhode Island, which will enable ongoing collaborations with local academic institutions and the broader Rhode Island community.”
To support this project, the Board of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation today approved tax credits through the Rebuild Rhode Island tax credit program and the Qualified Jobs Incentive Act. The value of the Rebuild Rhode Island Tax Credit is $2.2 million. There is potential for Amgen to receive an additional $1.25 million upon meeting established performance metrics.
“Amgen is a global company with options,” said Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor. “Rhode Island competed to be the location for the company’s ‘next generation’ biomanufacturing facility and we were successful because of our skilled talent, ideal location, and potent incentives. This is the 24th company that has expanded or landed in the Ocean State under Governor Raimondo’s leadership. Our state has momentum and we must continue our efforts until all Rhode Islanders feel the economic progress we are achieving.”
