Wednesday, September 26, 2001 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - U.S. Representative Mike Doyle (PA-18) announced today that he has received word from top officials of Siemens-Westinghouse that they have decided to build their 430,000 square-foot high-tech manufacturing facility on a 22-acre site in the Waterfront Development located in the Borough of Munhall within Allegheny County.

"This is tremendous news to Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania," stated Rep. Doyle when he heard the news from Allan Casanova, Director of Business Development and Administration for Siemens. "Throughout our nation's history, our region has always been a leader in manufacturing and our nation has relied on our manufacturing skills. As we move into the digital age, Western Pennsylvania is maintaining that reputation by being at the forefront in the manufacturing of a new, leading edge technology - a technology that will prove essential to our nation's future energy supply. I commend Siemens for their recognition of the role our region plays in the manufacturing sector of our nation."

Siemens Westinghouse's new facility, which will cost at least $122 million, will be built in phases starting with 180,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space in 2003 and growing to 430,000 square feet by 2006. Groundbreaking for the new facility will take place on Thursday, October 4, 2001. Initial employment at the facility will be approximately 150 people and will expand as the business grows to 450-500 people.

Fuel cells are used by companies as alternatives to conventional electric power facilities. They do not rely on combustion and operate much more efficiently than traditional power plants. Because of these higher efficiencies, fuel cells emit significantly less heat trapping carbon dioxide than today's existing average power plant. For this reason, fuel cells are an environmentally friendly source of energy.

"The development of fuel cells serves as an important part of our nation's long-term energy solution because they will provide the means for our nation to meet our current and future energy needs," stated Rep. Doyle. "The importance of the development and manufacturing of fuel cells in our nation's energy strategy is exemplified by the recent multi-million dollar grant the Department of Energy awarded to Seimens for further development of ultra-low cost fuel cells for residential and automobile application."(The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Siemens-Westinghouse a $47.8 million competitive grant in August 2001.)

Initially, Siemens looked at 123 sites in nine different cities before selecting the final site in Munhall.

###