US renewable developer Invenergy has partnered with solar module manufacturer LONGi to build a 5GW module assembly plant in Ohio.
Through a newly formed company called Illuminate USA, Invenergy will invest more than US$600 million in the plant, which includes a US$220 million commitment for the acquisition and construction of a 1.1 million-square-foot industrial building in Pataskala, Ohio.
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This marks the first US foray for the Solar Module Super League (SMSL) member LONGi, which recently invested US$6.7 billion in building a new production base in China capable of manufacturing 100GW of solar wafers and 50GW of solar cell capacity per year.
Construction is expected to start in April, with commercial operation expected to start by the end of 2023. However, the companies have not disclosed how much capacity is expected to be operational by then. PV Tech has reached out to Illuminate USA about it.
Once the 5GW module assembly plant is fully operational, it will produce mono and bifacial solar panels for both residential and utility-scale markets.
Invenergy has developed more than 6GW of solar projects globally, of which 775MW in the state of Ohio.
“As an American company and a leading developer and operator of solar projects in the US, we recognise the importance of having a strong domestic supply chain to meet the fast-growing demand for affordable solar power,” said Art Fletcher, EVP, global sourcing at Invenergy.
Ohio is also the home state of thin film solar manufacturer First Solar, and has three PV facilities in the state – the third one is ramping up its activity this year to reach 3GW of annual capacity – and has invested US$270 million in a new research and development facility in Perrysburg.
PV Tech reached out to Invenergy and Illuminate USA for further comments on the module assembly plant. More to follow…
PV Tech publisher Solar Media will be organising the second edition of Large Scale Solar USA Summit in Austin, Texas during 3-4 May. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) targeting US$369 billion for clean energy and US$40 billion for manufacturing, the solar industry has never been brighter. The IRA, securing financing for future projects or supply chain bottlenecks will be among the discussions at this year’s event. More information, including how to attend, can be read here.