Amarillo Economic Development Corporation Announces a Public Private Partnership with Plant Agricultural Systems Creating 700 Jobs and Investing Over $500M into the Amarillo Economy

Amarillo, Texas – June 27, 2023 – The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) announced today that a Public Private Partnership with Plant Agricultural Systems (PLANT-AS) is moving forward in Amarillo, TX. On March 14th, Amarillo City Council unanimously approved a Location Incentives Agreement with the company.

Plant Agricultural Systems is an infrastructure service provider delivering both the physical and digital infrastructure necessary to support localized fresh produce demand in all regions of the world. The company’s vision is to dynamically enable society’s transition to more sustainable methods of food production, distribution, and consumption. PLANT-AS will develop over 1,100 acres of advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) production in West Texas as a part of its phase one domestic operations roll out.

PLANT-AS’ Amarillo project includes the development of 9M square feet of advanced CEA production facilities on 400 acres at the CenterpointEast site near Highway 60 & Parsley Rd., where fresh produce, including, but not limited to, leafy greens and vine crops such as tomatoes, will be produced using state-of-the-art hydroponic technology. The company will deploy a projected $510M in capital expenditure for the project, which will scale up operations over seven years to employ more than 700 full-time employees with an expected payroll of $35,000,000.

PLANT-AS’ total West Texas operation will include an additional 700 acres in Lubbock. AEDC and the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA) have worked in partnership to bring a project of this size and scope to West Texas. The production footprint in West Texas will service the greater Southwestern United States and catalyze impact on a global scale.

“We are excited about the decision by PLANT-AS to locate in Amarillo and Lubbock. The West Texas region plays a significant role in providing food for the nation, and I believe it was extremely important for our communities to work together on this project. Congratulations to Lubbock and Amarillo on what I see as a huge win for our area,” said Kevin Carter, President & CEO of the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation.

The PLANT-AS Distributed Network Production Site (DNPS) model spans multiple U.S. and International markets, including a planned North American build-out of 3,000+ acres of advanced CEA facilities in a multi-year roll-out, making its domestic footprint greater than the sum of all land currently dedicated to CEA in the US.

This expansion accelerates the company’s DNPS delivery and enables the company to support domestic demand at a never-before-seen scale for CEA. In-line with the company’s prioritization of renewable energy as a key component of its Carbon Transition Infrastructure, wind, which is readily available in the region, will be utilized in the delivery of these facilities. The combined net negative environmental impact of such a power model, along with the advanced production process which uses 70-90% less water than conventional agriculture, is a landmark advancement in resource management for the region and sets a new standard for the industry.

PLANT-AS’ advanced production facilities are modern data centers where Production Technicians will be supported by artificial intelligence processing the widest array of crop-cycle data ever available. The data collected and processed via IBM’s blockchain-supported system is the foundation of a digital infrastructure model that will transform the global food supply chain, empowering decision making and operations for all participants.

“The end-to-end impact PLANT-AS will have on existing food systems begins with the agricultural process and extends all the way through the consumer experience,” said Plant Director of Global Brand Representation, Sara Gaul. “We are thrilled to be a part of the economic growth in West Texas. Together, we are building infrastructure for the future, and people are at the core of everything.”

AEDC anticipates operations to commence approximately 24 months from closing.

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ABOUT AEDC: Amarillo EDC is the primary economic development engine of the Amarillo community, responsible for industry growth and job creation through business attraction and retention initiatives. The mission of the Amarillo EDC is to attract businesses to Amarillo which offer highly skilled, highly paid positions; to expand and retain existing local businesses in Amarillo; and to foster a business environment conducive to entrepreneurship. Learn more at www.amarilloedc.com.

ABOUT PLANT-AS: Plant is using data to enable the global transition to more sustainable methods of food production, distribution, and consumption.

https://www.plant-agriculturalsystems.com/

For more information, please contact info@plant-as.com

(904) 913-8700