It’s been four months since Apple Inc.’s former sapphire glass manufacturer, GT Advanced Technologies Inc., shocked Wall Street by filing for bankruptcy and laying off hundreds of workers in Mesa.
What that meant for Apple’s future in Arizona has since been one of the biggest unanswered questions until Monday.
Gov. Doug Ducey held a press conference announcing that Apple’s Mesa facility will be revamped into a global command center that will oversee the firm’s global networks.
As a result, Apple will make a $2 billion investment in the state over the next decade and create 300 to 500 construction jobs, Ducey said.
Another 150 permanent jobs will also be housed at the east Mesa site, which is far fewer than the roughly 700 workers who were previously employed there by GT.
As for tax incentives, however, Ducey didn’t get specific when asked by reporters what Apple was offered.
“We're working within the framework of the existing law," Ducey said. "And Apple is welcome to participate in that."
Last year, state lawmakers approved some special tax breaks, designed with Apple in mind, that the tech giant could still take advantage of. That includes a $5 million state income tax credit for companies that spend $300 million or more to produce renewable energy power for its own use.
Renewable energy is in the blueprints for Apple’s command center.
“Apple is making a significant investment to power the facility with 100 percent renewable energy, building and financing solar projects that will take advantage of Arizona's excellent solar resources,” according to a prepared statement from Ducey’s office. “The projects will produce 70 MW of clean energy, enough to power more than 14,500 Arizona homes.”
Initially, Apple had lined up about $10 million in tax incentives from the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Arizona Competes fund, the state’s deal-closing pool.
Ducey, who proposed funding cuts to the ACA as part of his budget proposal last month, said Apple will no longer claim that ACA money.