SunEdison and Saudi government considering US$6.4 billion PV manufacturing complex

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

SunEdison and the Government of Saudi Arabia are undertaking a feasibility study to establish a fully integrated PV manufacturing complex, including polysilicon production through to PV module assembly at an estimated cost of US$6.4 billion.

SunEdison said that it was working with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Investment Company (Sanabil Investments) on the complex which would potentially be built at Wa'ad Al Shammal in Saudi Arabia.

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

The company noted that a preliminary study carried out with the National Industrial Clusters Development Program (NICDP) and SunEdison had been undertaken in 2013.

“We anticipate substantial growth of solar PV within the Kingdom and the region. This project will support that growth, and the growth aspirations of SunEdison and our Saudi partners,” said Ahmad Chatila, CEO of SunEdison. “The combination of SunEdison technology, and the Kingdom's world-class manufacturing and energy sector expertise will enable us to capitalise on substantial growth in the Kingdom and the region, and maximise the value of solar PV projects supported by this venture.”

The US$6.4 billion production complex if established was said to be expected to employ SunEdison's proprietary high pressure silane fluidised bed reactor (HP-FBR) polysilicon, and continuous Czochralski (CCz) crystal ingot technology and equipment.

SunEdison is currently building a polysilicon plant in South Korea under a joint venture with Samsung.

The polysilicon plant would support wafer needs of a planned 3GW of annual PV module production as well as have enough capacity to remain highly competitive and sell polysilicon on the open market.

SunEdison said that the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals would provide the required quantities of natural gas, and the Saudi Electrical Company (SEC) would provide power requirements for the polysilicon project.

Eng. Azzam Shalabi, President of NICDP added: “This project will be capable of building a complete industrial eco-system that is sustainable and able to compete on a global level by utilising pioneering technology developed by SunEdison to produce high purity polysilicon, and high-efficiency, low-cost mono-crystalline ingots, in addition to benefiting from economies of scale given the size and vertically integrated nature of the complex.”

Read Next

July 1, 2025
Spanish independent power producer (IPP) Zelestra has secured financing and reached financial close for its 220MW solar-plus-storage plant in Chile.
July 1, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Arevon Energy has closed a US$600 million credit facility to support its solar PV and energy storage portfolio in the US.
July 1, 2025
The UK government has released this week (30 June) its Solar Roadmap, which sets out practical measures to meet the country’s solar PV targets.
July 1, 2025
Solar developer ib vogt has sold a 110MW solar PV plant in Spain to international fund NextPower V ESG, which is operated by investment firm NextEnergy Capital (NEC).
July 1, 2025
French private equity firm Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF) has bought 117 solar PV plants, worth 116MW of total capacity in several locations in Italy.
July 1, 2025
Swedish independent power producer (IPP) OX2 has begun operations at a 100MW solar PV plant in Poland, its first project as an IPP.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
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