Lockport, Will County officials remain optimistic about former Chevron site development

Lockport — PsiQuantum, a California-based tech company specializing in the development of quantum computers, announced Thursday that it has chosen to build its new research and production facility in Chicago at the long-vacant U.S. Steel South Works site, choosing to pass on the proposal to build on the old Chevron property in Lockport.

Lockport and Chicago were the two finalists for the facility, which ultimately will end up employing hundreds of people and include research facilities and a large-scale cryogenic facility to accommodate the cooling needs of the future quantum computers.

Quantum computing is a largely theoretical concept. PsiQuantum is one of multiple companies working to develop a scalable, “commercially useful” quantum computer, with companies such as IBM and Microsoft also working to make the machines, which eventually could lead to breakthroughs in fields such as cybersecurity and medical research due to their exponentially faster computing capabilities.

Despite a lack of working commercial machines so far, Gov. JB Pritzker already has invested heavily in drawing research for the new technology to Illinois, including by pursuing federal grants and establishing the Chicago Quantum Exchange – a research partnership with local universities, businesses, and the Fermi and Argonne National Laboratories.

“We knew Illinois had it. We just weren’t sure which site it was going to until this week,” Will County Center for Economic Development President and CEO Doug Pryor said. “Illinois has a significant advantage in the quantum field with Northwestern, University of Illinois and University of Chicago already doing research on it, the Chicago Quantum Hub, and the national labs. Fermi and Argonne were a big factor in this, even though they don’t get a lot of attention normally.”

I’m very proud of our staff. They left no stone unturned pursuing this development. This has been an extraordinary marketing outreach for the site.”

—  Lockport Mayor Steven Streit

Lockport Mayor Steven Streit said in a statement that few people outside of Will County initially gave Lockport much of a chance to be in contention for the project.

“But once the meetings began and we presented our city to PsiQuantum and the state organizations from Intersect Illinois, World Business Chicago and the University of Illinois-Champaign, it became apparent that Lockport was not only viable but perhaps even the better choice,” Streit said in his statement. “And not just in terms of our location but because of our preparedness, responsiveness and, well, I’ll say it – personal charm. This ended up being a very close decision.”

Streit and Pryor noted that the decision largely came down to available space, as the PsiQuantum project grew in scope from the time it was proposed last year to the final proposals.

“In the end, the project outgrew our site,” said Streit, who noted the city-owned Chevron property is 180 acres compared with the South Works’ more than 400 acres. “Other organizations wanted to be part of the campus. U of I got involved, and so did [the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Project Agency], and it started to just get really tight on space.”

“PsiQuantum came to the Chicago area looking for potential sites, along with several other states,” Pryor said. “We had a great site in Lockport, but it was a bit constrained on space. While this is disappointing, it’s a great thing for Illinois, and it’s important that this project succeeds at the Chicago site.”

“There is a good future ahead for that site, even if we don’t know what it is yet. We’re well positioned for the next opportunity.”

—  Doug Pryor, president and CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development

The governor was in Chicago on Thursday at the U.S. Steel South Works site to announce the PsiQuantum project.

“In Illinois, we’re leading the charge with this first-of-its-kind quantum park to unite stakeholders, experts and future generations of quantum leaders,” Pritzker said in a statement after the announcement of Chicago’s selection. “I’m grateful that PsiQuantum will be our anchor tenant as we launch this exciting collaboration to create the jobs of the future, and PsiQuantum choosing Chicago cements our status as a global hub for quantum computing.”

Future opportunities for Lockport site

Although the cutting-edge technological center will not be finding a home in Lockport, officials from the city and Will County are choosing to see the bright side and take advantage of the attention the bidding process has brought to the Chevron property.

“Since purchasing the site, we haven’t had an opportunity to market it much,” Streit said. “Developers all know the site now and could be interested in using it for other projects. A lot of developers submitted bids for both locations as part of the decision process, so they learned a lot about the site and got to know our staff and how easy they are to work with.”

Pryor also noted that the county, the city, and the Center for Economic Development learned a lot about the potential of the property throughout the bid process.

“The site is more visible than it was before this process, and we know more about its capabilities now,” he said. “We know the site can deliver heavy power for a future development, and we fully explored how to run municipal utilities like water and sewer to it. We also did significant environmental due diligence and believe it has been fully remediated by Chevron – which they deserve a lot of credit for. They spent 10 years cleaning up this property, and it is ready to go.”

Streit said he was pleased that PsiQuantum is moving forward with its plan.

“While this was a disappointing decision, I want to thank our city staff, County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and Doug Pryor from Will County CED, and our surrounding mayors who put their support into this project,” Streit said. “We are also very appreciative of the efforts of World Business Chicago and Illinois Intersect, who helped with our proposal. I’m very proud of our staff. They left no stone unturned pursuing this development. This has been an extraordinary marketing outreach for the site.”

State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, issued a statement noting her hopes for the future development in Lockport and the rest of the district.

“While I’m disappointed that Lockport was not chosen for the quantum computing facility site, I believe our district is ideal for future technological advances,” Ventura said. “The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity and I are committed to bringing economic development to the 43rd District.”

Streit said the city already has plans to meet again with Illinois Intersect about other potential business developments for the site, which will mesh with the community’s master plans for the land.

“The city did an excellent job with this proposal,” Pryor said. “It was a tremendous amount of work, and they managed it well with the PsiQuantum team. There is a good future ahead for that site, even if we don’t know what it is yet. We’re well positioned for the next opportunity.”