Amonix Says No Federal Tax Credits Used | News

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A spokeswoman for a closed southern Nevada solar manufacturing plant said the company didn't use $5.9 million in federal tax credits because it didn't realize any taxable income.

The Amonix plant in North Las Vegas closed Wednesday after just 14 months.

The company based in Seal Beach, Calif., designed and developed concentrated photovoltaic solar power systems. It received a $15.6 million federal Department of Energy grant approved in 2007 under the Bush administration.

In a statement Thursday, spokeswoman Kelly Rice said Amonix is adjusting its operations to meet changing market conditions and that keeping the Nevada plant open was not economically possible.

The statement also blamed intense competition and lower than anticipated demand for photovoltaic solar energy in the southwestern U.S.

She said the company will vacate the North Las Vegas factory by early August.