WuXi construction resumes at delayed $300M facility as BIOSECURE Act stalls
Photo | Eric Casey
Workers were seen pouring concrete into the interior of WuXi's facility on Thursday.
A pause in construction of the $300-million WuXi Biologics manufacturing facility at The Reactory biotech park in Worcester appears to be over.
Workers have been seen at the site of the four-story, 189,500-square-foot facility multiple times this week and were spotted Thursday morning pouring concrete into the interior of the building, signaling an apparent end to a pause in construction first reported in June.
Tom Matthews, media and public relations administrator for the City of Worcester, said in email to WBJ Wednesday the permits related to construction have remained active but deferred to WuXi for more details. WuXi did not respond to a request for comment from WBJ requesting more details about the progress of construction and the site’s opening date.
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China-based WuXi purchased the site in 2020. The project has been boosted by a $6-million tax credit from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and a $11.5-million tax break from the City. Originally planned as a two-story, 107,000 square-foot facility, the company expanded its plans for the site in 2022 and again in January.
WuXi’s ability to operate in the United States has been potentially threatened by The BIOSECURE Act, a bill which aims to place restrictions on foreign life science firms deemed to have close ties with governments deemed to be adversarial to American interests.
The bill, which specifically cites WuXi as one of the companies which would be subject to restrictions, passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a 306-81 vote in September despite the objections of Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester).
The BIOSECURE ACT has since stalled in the Senate, where it was excluded from the National Defense Authorization Act, further slimming its chances of passing before the end of the session, according to Yahoo Finance.
Originally slated to open in 2022, the latest update from WuXi said the facility will open sometime in 2025. The site is expected to create 200 jobs when fully operational.
Construction of the facility is being led by The Cardinal Group USA, a firm based in Woburn.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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