Work is progressing on GE Aviation’s new facilities in the Huntsville, Ala., area.

Work is progressing on GE Aviation's new facilities in the Huntsville, Ala., area. The company is investing more than $200 million to build two factories in Limestone County. Ground was broken on the construction site last year.

When completed, one of the plants will produce silicon carbide, or SiC ceramic fiber on a large scale and will be the first operation of its kind in the U.S. The second facility will use that fiber to manufacture ceramic matrix composites, or CMC, used in making jet airplanes. As many as 300 people will be employed at the two plants.

“We continue to make great progress,” Huntsville site leader Jon Lyford said. “The engineering and construction teams are on track to start placing process equipment by October. The CMC prepreg facility commissioning will be complete in the summer of 2018. The CMC fiber facility commissioning remains targeted for the spring of 2019.”

The project is receiving $21.9 million from the U.S. Air Force Research Lab Title III Office. Birmingham-based B.L. Harbert International is working with the Air Force and GE Aviation on the project.

CEG

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