For the first time, Oklahoma leaders finally confirm yes, a mystery company is considering the state for a manufacturing site that could potentially hire thousands of workers and bring billions of dollars investment.
As OK Energy Today reported earlier this year, the company’s interest in a site either in eastern Kansas or near Tulsa prompted the Kansas legislature to immediately approve $1 billion in incentives.
The Tulsa World reported Wednesday that Gov. Kevin Stitt admitted he is interested in luring the same company to the state. He spoke about it during a news conference dealing with the State Turnpike Authority’s $5 billion turnpike expansion but would not identify the firm, which according to some published accounts in Kansas is Panasonic.
“The Legislature is working through all that stuff right now,” Stitt said when asked about specific incentives the state would offer the company it is targeting. “There are some packages through there.”
OK Energy Today had sought comments weeks ago from the Oklahoma Commerce Department and the Mayor’s office in Tulsa, but no one replied. It was in January when Kansas news outlets first reported the mystery company had narrowed down its selection from a field of 69 sites.
A spokesman for the Kansas Commerce Department stated in January the mega project would bring in $4 billion in new investments and create 4,000 permanent jobs with an average salary of $50,000.
The Kansas City Star reported in early February that the mystery company could be Panasonic because the firm had reached agreements to build batteries for electric vehicles made by Tesla and Toyota. The newspaper said a possible site for the plant would be near Desoto, Kansas.
The Star also was unsuccessful in obtaining comments from Oklahoma officials about the project.
