GE celebrated thegrand opening of the GE Energy Manufacturing Technology Center on Thursday.

The 32,000 square-foot center in Dammam, Saudi Arabia includes a manufacturing facility for high technology equipment for the power, water and oil and gas industries; a service and repair center for advanced turbine equipment; and a training center to empower Saudi college students. As part of the launch, GE announced an additional $150 million investment in the project, bringing the company’s total commitment to $250 million.

The “end-to-end” goal of the center is key. GE can repair advanced technology gas turbine-related parts locally, for instance, rather than send them out of the country, to save time and cost.

The facility will create 2,000 new jobs, supporting goals outlined in Saudi Vision 2020, the Kingdom’s plan for economic development over the next decade.

“As Saudi Arabia forges ahead with its ambitious development plans,” GE vice chairman John Krenicki said at the opening, “the center underscores GE’s commitment to be closer to our customers who trust us to deliver the latest technologies and services across the energy landscape.”

GE currently supports roughly half of the Kingdom’s electricity with more than 500 turbines installed throughout Saudi Arabia.