Delaware’s $21.5 million dollar investment in Fisker Automotive is still in limbo as federal officials are set to auction off the company’s holdings.
Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it would auction off the remaining $164 million of a loan made to the company in 2010.
Bidders participating next month will be required to promote domestic manufacturing and engineering work on advanced technology vehicles.
Delaware Economic Development Director Alan Levin says he’s holding out hope the winning bidder will use the former GM Boxwood Road plant that was to manufacture Fisker cars as part of the state’s deal with the automaker or that the state could gain ownership of it.
“We don’t want to see it vacant. We want to see it operational," said Levin. "So a bank in California, they’re never going to see it. They don’t care about it. The [U.S.] Department of Energy probably doesn’t care a whole lot about it either, but we do.”
Levin adds he and Governor Jack Markell have been working with Delaware’s Congressional delegation to secure a future for the plant, no matter what Fisker's ultimate fate is.
“It’s a sad thing. We’re not done yet, but as we like to say, we think that Fisker is on life support at this time and where it goes from here I can’t tell you,” said Levin.
Fisker assured Delaware officials it would create nearly 2,500 jobs at the plant by 2015, but the DOE suspended its loan in 2011 after failing to meet certain benchmarks.
The company laid off 75 percent of its workforce in April and hasn’t delivered a car in more than a year.
