National Gypsum has submitted site plans for an addition to its Sunnyvale Drive plant.

"What they are doing right now is installing our updated technology, some of which requires a permit for foundation work," Beth Straeten, corporate communications director for National Gypsum said Thursday. "We're upgrading the technology and infrastructure to meet the needs of our customers."

The Charlotte-based drywall manufacturer is preparing the site as part of its plan to reopen the shuttered plant at 838 Sunnyvale Drive in Wilmington. Site plans propose a 3,150-square-foot stucco cooler enclosure as an addition to the company’s existing one-story 235,015-square-foot building at the site.

Site plans also call for an oil tank spill containment to be removed, as well as the removal of an existing railroad car concrete loading dock.

The plans are scheduled for review with the city's Technical Review Committee on Aug. 16.

Straeten said the company expects to have the plant operational by the end of the year with additional improvements to its rail and related infrastructure expected by 2020.

In addition, the company is expecting its "first shipment of rock this fall," Straeten said. "As with shipments in previous years they are expected to be delivered and unloaded directly to National Gypsum."

"The Port of Wilmington is a really good partner and we work together on occasional shipments as needed," she added. 

National Gypsum officials have previously said that the company plans to spend $25 million over five years to upgrade existing machinery and install new equipment at the site.

National Gypsum’s Wilmington plant idled in 2009. But earlier this year, company officials announced that Wilmington was in the running with Tampa, Florida, as two locations being eyed to reopen a closed National Gypsum plant.

To lure the company to choose Wilmington, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and the Wilmington City Council each approved economic development incentives for the company. The incentives total $230,000 over five years from the city and $350,000 over five years from the county.

In May, when National Gypsum CEO Tom Nelson made the trip to Wilmington to announce the company’s plans to reopen the Sunnyvale Drive plant, officials stated that the company had already begun hiring and training new employees to supervise and operate the facility.

"We have hired approximately 45 associates at this time and expected to hire up to approximately 10 [more] based on the business demands in the coming year," Straeten said Thursday.

The reopening of the facility was originally said to bring 51 jobs to the area with an average salary of $57,000.