Data center supplier opens shop in James City County in Grove area; more to come
CEL Critical Power will employ 250. Another European company is expected to break ground on a missile facility next month.
An Irish company that services the fast-growing data center industry has set up its first American facility in the Green Mount industrial area of James City County and plans to grow to 500 high-paying jobs by 2030.
And there’s another foreign company coming soon.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined local politicians Wednesday for a ceremony at CEL Critical Power, which is already in operation.
The company plans to invest $5.225 million in the facility, which produces power solutions to serve the fast-growing data center market. It plans to fill 250 jobs now, doubling that number within five years, according to a company press release.
Founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1982, CEL Critical Power designs and manufactures power systems for the global AI and cloud industry, including low-voltage power distribution systems, switchgear equipment and remote power panels.
James City County Chair Jim Icenhour told us the company offers jobs that pay in the $70,000-plus range. He said 95% of the components the local facility uses will be sourced in the United States.
CEL is receiving support from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which uses state money to provide recruiting and training of employees.
Within the next month, James City County should also see groundbreaking for a new facility for Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, a Norwegian firm that will be building missile systems for the U.S. Navy.
Kongsberg officials told a meeting of the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce last month that they should soon begin work on their site and start hiring employees.