JA Solar reports fire at solar cell plant in China

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The company said that the cause of the fire had not been identified and was under investigation. Image: JA Solar

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar has announced that its Fab 7 solar cell plant in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China had a significant fire incident overnight on July 13, 2017.

JA Solar said that cell manufacturing equipment affected by a fire that lasted between 1:32 AM Beijing time to around 6:00 AM the same day, related to old production lines installed in 2009 and accounted for only around 6% (330MW approx) of its total solar cell nameplate capacity. The old lines were expected to be replaced in the next 12 months, according to the company.

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

JA Solar had a solar cell nameplate capacity of 5,500 MW per annum at the end of 2016.

The company said that the cause of the fire had not been identified and was under investigation.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

July 8, 2025
The Chinese government has moved to curb excessive competition in the PV sector and stabilise pricing as companies report growing losses.
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 4, 2025
Chinese PV provider Skycorp Solar Group has announced a solar plant acquisition and development strategy following unanimous board approval.
July 4, 2025
Risen Energy’s mass-produced heterojunction (HJT) modules have reached a cell conversion efficiency of 26.61%, a record figure for the company.
Premium
July 2, 2025
ANALYSIS: China's leading PV manufacturers are locked in a new round of competition, aiming to outpace each other through record-breaking feats.
June 26, 2025
International researchers led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a new cooling technology that improves the power and longevity of solar cells.

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