Associated Press - March 23, 2009 6:34 PM ET

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - A $2 million investment package will bring a solar panel manufacturer facility, along with at least 60 new jobs, to Rockford.

Gov. Pat Quinn announced Monday that Wanxiang America Corp. will open the solar panel plant. The company says it will lease 200 acres to construct what it calls 1 of the largest solar farms in the country.

Wanxiang already employs 4,100 people in the United States and 45,000 workers around the world.

The state of Illinois structured an incentive package worth just more than $2 million for Wanxiang. Quinn says the company will create important jobs in the renewable energy sector.

The company is based in China but has a U.S. home office in Chicago.

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