EPOC Environ, an environmental engineering company, will build its first US plant in Statesville

April 13. An Australian environmental cleanup company is coming to Statesville where it is completing its first plant in the United States.

EPOC Enviro, which will get $1.6 million in state incentives, will bring 226 jobs that pay an average of $64,000 a year. Hiring begins this summer.

The 260,000 square-foot plant on Route 70 at Barkley Road will be worth more than $4 million.

Background

EPOC targets pollutants known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly over time.

Because of their widespread use and their persistence in the environment, many PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment.

In addition to community college training valued at $360,000, local incentives total $200,000.