A new manufacturing plant set to open in Chehalis is one of four facilities that New York-based CleanFiber will open.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that CleanFiber will receive two $10 million federal grants to build facilities in Chehalis and Ennis, Texas, and create 80 full-time jobs. According to the company, the grants are part of the $75 million in financing it has secured this year.

“We are honored to have the DOE’s support in accelerating our growth,” Jonathan Strimling, CEO of CleanFiber, said in a statement Friday. “We are committed to delivering benefits not only to our customers, but also to disadvantaged and coal communities where we’ll be creating employment opportunities, and of course, reducing carbon emissions at the same time.”

The Chehalis plant is one of 14 projects announced by DOE to increase clean energy manufacturing in 15 coal communities across the United States. The investments total $428 million across 12 states.

As of Friday morning, a timeline and location for the project remained unclear.

According to a description of the project provided by DOE, the facility will be “housed within an existing building.”

“By utilizing an existing facility, CleanFiber can avoid many of the permits, environmental impacts and delays associated with new construction,” a description provided by the DOE states.

Once operational, the Chehalis facility will produce enough insulation to weatherize more than 10,000 homes annually.

In a news release Friday, CleanFiber said it plans to open plants in Washington, Texas, Arizona and Michigan, and eventually expand into the southeast and Canada.

Earlier this year, CleanFiber was recognized as the Fastest Growing Manufacturing Company in America on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list.

According to Sen. Maria Cantwell, construction of the Chehalis facility will require approximately 33 full-time local contractors who will be paid at or above the prevailing wage. Once operational, the Chehalis plant will support 40 full-time employees who will be paid competitive wages and full benefits packages, Cantwell stated.

CleanFiber will conduct outreach to disadvantaged and displaced coal workers and has pledged to remain neutral during any union-organizing campaigns. The project description notes that the site is “adjacent to a coal community” and multiple “disadvantaged communities” as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.

The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, which selected CleanFiber, was created and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Cantwell helped draft in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

“This planned new manufacturing plant is a triple win for the region: It will deliver good new manufacturing jobs, produce energy-saving advanced insulation, and reduce waste by upcycling local materials,” Cantwell said in a statement. “Supporting well-paying jobs in transitioning communities is a key requirement we included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and this announcement shows the federal government is betting on Chehalis to be an engine of revitalization in Southwest Washington.”