Reporting by Anwesha Pattanaik at Power Technology, with announcement details from Area Development.
Mitsubishi Power Americas is putting $490 million into its Savannah Machinery Works near Pooler, Georgia, and the project carries more than 220 new jobs. The company lists the openings across manufacturing, logistics, engineering, quality, maintenance and support.
The Savannah Economic Development Authority called it the largest investment to date by Mitsubishi Power Americas.
What Happened
Mitsubishi Power signed an expansion framework agreement with the Savannah Economic Development Authority and announced the project on Sunday, October 25, with state economic development staff, elected officials and community leaders in the room.
The plan adds 450,000 square feet to a site that runs about 430,000 square feet today, according to Power Technology's report. That more than doubles the footprint. The added space is for gas turbine components, and the company says it will bring advanced manufacturing technology, better material flow and upgraded production infrastructure onto the floor.
Mitsubishi Power Americas is the U.S. arm of Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Its Savannah plant makes gas turbines, steam turbines and other power generation equipment for customers across North and South America.
A Plant With a Track Record
Savannah Machinery Works opened in 2010 as Mitsubishi Power's first complete gas turbine plant outside Japan. It shipped its first U.S.-built gas turbine in 2012. In June 2023 the plant marked its 50th advanced-class gas turbine.
Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, pointed out that Mitsubishi Power first chose Georgia during the recession and that the relationship has held ever since, per Area Development.
Brandon Bodie, vice president of Savannah Machinery Works, put it plainly. He called Savannah "a critical hub for Mitsubishi Power since 2010" and described the expansion as an investment in facilities, in the workforce and in a more resilient supply chain.
From 80 Employees to a Second Build
The plant was planned in phases from the start. A company release published by POWER magazine in November 2010 laid it out. Phase one made combustion components for Mitsubishi gas turbines. Phase two added a service and repair shop for valves, turbine and generator rotors and other large components, including a high-speed balance bunker. Phase three brought full gas turbine manufacturing and assembly.
At opening, the company expected about 80 employees by the end of 2010, with more than $2 million in training equipment for field service and assembly work. The full site was planned for about 500 people.
Sixteen years later, Savannah is adding another 220 jobs and doubling the space.
The Jobs
The 220 roles track the way a heavy equipment plant actually runs. Machinists and assemblers build the parts. Quality staff inspect them. Maintenance crews keep the machine tools turning. Logistics teams move large, heavy components through the yard and out to customers. Engineers sit behind all of it.
Bill Newsom, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas, tied the hiring directly to power demand. "Meeting the growing demand for power will require investment in facilities, in our supply chain, and in our workforce," he said. He added that the expansion strengthens American manufacturing.
Georgia Quick Start, the state's workforce training program run through the Technical College System of Georgia, is named among the project partners. So are the Georgia Department of Economic Development's Global Commerce team, the Savannah Economic Development Authority and Georgia Power.
The state also credited specific people for landing the project: Dorie Bacon, senior regional project manager on the Global Commerce team, and Zachary Ott, SEDA's director of existing industry.
Why Savannah
Location matters when the product is a gas turbine. The plant sits at the junction of I-95 and I-16, with port and rail access. Wilson cited Georgia's ports, rail, highways and airports as the reason Mitsubishi Power keeps investing there.
Trip Tollison, president and CEO of SEDA, described the project as highly competitive and a major win for Chatham County. He said he looks forward to a groundbreaking ceremony to start construction.
What Comes Next
No construction start or completion date has been announced. Mitsubishi Power says it plans additional expansions through 2028.
When construction starts, the project brings its own wave of work for building trades in Chatham County before the first of the 220 new hires steps onto the expanded floor.
The Savannah news is part of a wider build across the Southeast. Power Technology reports that Mitsubishi Power is also growing in Florida, with its Orlando Power Generation Services headquarters and a new corporate headquarters in Lake Mary set to open in November.
The groundbreaking is the next date to watch. After that comes the hiring.
The Bigger Picture
Every power plant starts in a factory. This fall Positive Current has followed the hiring at the plants that supply the grid: the only U.S. mill making transformer steel, Virginia's transformer manufacturers and now a gas turbine works in coastal Georgia. Each one adds payroll in a specific county and capacity the whole industry draws on.
Savannah is about to add more than 220 people to that list.
Sources
- Anwesha Pattanaik, "Mitsubishi Power reveals $490m expansion of Savannah facility," Power Technology, October 26, 2026.
- "Operations Set to Commence at Mitsubishi's Newest Facility, Savannah Machinery Works," company release via POWER, November 5, 2010.
- Area Development News Desk, "Mitsubishi Power America Expands Chatham County, Georgia, Operations," Area Development, October 25, 2026.
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Tips and corrections: amos.snead@positivecurrent.com
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