Across the United States the rapid boom of new data centers and artificial intelligence is putting a growing strain on the nation's power grid.
A company whose technology works to solve the problems of an aging power grid, EPC Power, has opened its second Upstate manufacturing center. Officials marked the opening of the new Fountain Inn facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 15.
"Our expansion in South Carolina is a direct response to the AI infrastructure investment and power demands we’re seeing worldwide," EPC Power chief executive officer Jim Fusaro said.
Founded in 2010, EPC Power makes equipment that helps large facilities and the electric grid turn electricity into the stable power they need to operate, according to the company website.
The new 167,000-square-foot facility will produce EPC Power’s M and MRACK series power inverters, nearly tripling the company's production capacity. It also allows the company to meet the rising demand for AI data center infrastructure and grid and energy stability.
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"The grid itself, the utilities, no one was ready for it to grow in a way that it never has before," chief growth officer Adam Kabulski said.
EPC Power produces all of its technology in the United States and works with major utility companies across the nation to help them protect the power grid and make it more reliable, officials said.
"You look at a product today that has been designed here in the U.S., manufactured in the U.S., components sourced in the U.S., being built in the U.S. for primarily U.S. customers – that's a significant accomplishment," Fusaro said.
The Fountain Inn facility is located at 111 Southchase Boulevard. It has created 275 new jobs, according to the company. Fusaro said that additional jobs will be created as expansion continues.
"The relocation enforces something that we've known for a long time – that Fountain Inn is becoming a destination for innovative companies," said Marnie Schwartz-Hanley, president and chief executive officer of the Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce. "We love that businesses are choosing Fountain Inn because of our strategic location, because of our skilled workforce and quality of life, and of course, these collaborative partnerships that we have."
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The Fountain Inn facility is EPC Power's second South Carolina facility and third facility overall. EPC Power opened a Simpsonville facility on Old Laurens Road in 2022.
Fusaro said that the talent pool and business environment in the Upstate made it the place that EPC Power wanted to set up operations to serve the east coast.
Ruth Cronin covers Greenville County business, growth and development. Contact her at [email protected].