(CHARLOTTE) -- A leading provider of equipment needs and replacement components for nuclear power plants plans to locate its main engineering center in Charlotte. The new Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems, Inc. (MNES) facility will create 135 jobs over the next five year and invest $4.1 million.

Gov. Beverly Perdue's office confirmed that the company could receive up to $2.8 million in state funds if specific job creation and investment targets are met in each of the nine years of an agreement.  The governor joined Mitsubishi officials in Charlotte for the announcement about the new facility coming to the Queen City.

“Mitsubishi is a growing and future-oriented company, exactly the kind of business that North Carolina is attracting through our investment in education and infrastructure,” said Perdue. “Our job-ready workforce and position as an energy capital truly means that international companies like Mitsubishi will bring to our state the kind of jobs that are helping us climb out of the recession.”

“Establishing our engineering center in North Carolina is a further expansion of our U.S. operations to meet the growing needs of U.S. utility companies for safe and efficient nuclear power plant technology,” said Kiyoshi Yamauchi, President and Chief Executive Officer of MNES. “The engineering work to be done there will help utilities meet global energy requirements with our US-APWR technology.”

MNES will use the new Charlotte engineering center to execute projects associated with the building of nuclear power plants for U.S. utility companies. Charlotte engineers will work with MNES partners, contractors and customers in the areas of project management, engineering, procurement and quality assurance.