(CHARLOTTE) -- Siemens Energy broke ground Thursday on a new 60,000-square-foot expansion project adjacent to the existing Siemens Steam Turbine-Generator Manufacturing Plant in Charlotte. Over the next five years, the company plans to invest a total of nearly $50 million in the project and create 226 new engineering and manufacturing jobs.

Siemens Energy currently employs 780 workers at its current 40-year-old 550,000-square-foot Charlotte manufacturing facility. The expanded facility, designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, will house engineering operations that will support the company's design, manufacture and service of power generation components.

"The U.S. is and will continue to be one of the most important markets for Siemens, and we are proud to expand our operations in Charlotte, North Carolina," said Randy Zwirn, president and CEO of Siemens Energy, Inc. "Charlotte is definitely an emerging energy center of excellence and we owe many thanks to the State of North Carolina and the City of Charlotte for their ongoing dedication to our business success. We look forward to our next 40 years in Charlotte."

Siemens Energy supplies the power systems that provide one-third of the nation's electricity.. Siemens employs nearly 10,000 people in the energy sector and 69,000 people overall in the U.S. covering the energy, healthcare and industry sectors.