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A town called Goodyear, slightly west of Phoenix, Arizona, will be the location of Suntech’s first U.S.-based solar module manufacturing plant. An existing building will be used, which speeds up the schedule for the start of manufacturing, which the company has slated for September. The plant will start out with an annual capacity of 30MW but can be scaled to over 120MW, the company said. Initially 70 local jobs will be created. Suntech will become the first China-based solar producer to locate and operate a plant in the U.S.
"Taking the step to bring manufacturing to the U.S. is a strategic move for our North American business, and we're focused on making the most of our investment," said Steven Chan, Chief Strategy Officer, Suntech. "With our Goodyear facility, we have the opportunity to design a truly innovative module manufacturing center that can accelerate innovation, allowing us to deploy new products designed to meet the burgeoning U.S. solar market. Having a facility here in the U.S. will also reduce the time, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with shipping panels from overseas."
Suntech noted that the plant will use the latest equipment and technology and be an innovation hub for U.S.-centric modules. The announcement was made during the AZ4Solar Symposium.
