DUNKIRK, N.Y. -- Over the last five years. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says his Buffalo Billion economic development plan has created a climate for private investment throughout the entire Western New York region. He says he's confident the strategy is working. 

"You know what today is? 1,400 jobs," said Cuomo, D-New York.

Cuomo announced Thursday that Athenex, a cancer pharmaceuticals company, would invest more than $1.6 billion over 10 years, unveiling its North American headquarters in Buffalo and pledging to build a state-of-the-art factory in the Southern Tier.

"This is going to make a tremendous difference in Dunkirk," Cuomo said. "When you think about 900 jobs, a population of 12,000, it is a really, really significant investment."

The state is promising $225 million for the project. The governor called it a potential game-changer for an area with a struggling economy.

Recently in Dunkirk, NRG Energy dropped plans to convert its mothballed power plant from coal to natural gas.

"I want a full investigation," Cuomo said. "I want to know if we have any rights to go back at NRG. I'm a lawyer. I was the former Attorney General. I believe there's a case that they defrauded the state of New York."

Meanwhile, while Cuomo was in Western New York to announce the new jobs at Athenex, he said he's worried about the potential loss of hundreds more in another field. He's called on the federal government to block the merger of Key Bank and First Niagara.

"At a time when we've been working very, very hard to bring the jobs back, it's exactly opposite what we have spent five years doing and investing significant money which is growing jobs," he said.

The Buffalo Billion's flagship project, SolarCity, promises 3,000 jobs, but all's not well for the solar panel company. It's stock has plummeted nearly 30 points in a month and the company says the Buffalo project is three to six months behind schedule.

"The industry itself is the right industry, right? Renewable energy is the way of the future, that's undoubtable," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said the state still feels very good about the investment and the economic climate of Western New York in general.