BP Solar to close PV module plant in Australia

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

BP Solar’s 50MW photovoltaic cell and module manufacturing plant in Sydney Olympic Park, Australia is to close at the end of March 2009, as the company focuses production at larger scale facilities in other parts of the world. Approximately 200 jobs will be affected by the closure, but BP Solar said it would continue to market and sell its solar systems in the country.

“The challenge for solar power is to reduce its costs to the level at which it competes on an equal footing with conventional electricity delivered through the power grid. To do this we need to expand at scale and reduce costs,” noted Reyad Fezzani, CEO of BP Solar. “We’ve looked at all options in our Sydney manufacturing site and the physical location, lack of expansion potential and lease agreements just don’t make it competitive: the most modern Solar PV manufacturing plants are up to twenty times larger than our Sydney site and we are competing in this global market.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Fezzani also said that the solar market had become increasingly competitive as well as the challenges of the current economic climate. He reiterated that BP continues to invest around $1.5 billion US dollars in alternative energy and low carbon energy businesses annually.

BP Solar has been operating in Australia for more than 20 years.

Read Next

July 7, 2025
The board of REC Silicon is running out of time on a buyout offer by Korean conglomerate Hanwha previously dismissed as "lowball".
Premium
July 7, 2025
Collecting project performance data and managing cybersecurity concerns is no simple task for many project managers.
July 7, 2025
ReNew has received a non-binding final acquisition offer from a consortium at US$8 per share, which is 13.2% more than their earlier offer.
July 7, 2025
Chinese energy giant China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, also known as Sinopec, has commenced operations at a 7.5MW offshore floating PV plant in China.
July 7, 2025
GameChange Solar has announced plans to supply trackers for the 1GW second phase of the Abydos project in Egypt.
July 7, 2025
Private equity firm Ardian has completed the acquisition of French independent power producer Akuo, a transaction unveiled in March 2025.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK