Polysilicon supplier Tongwei continues to expand its solar footprint, revealing plans this week to set up a 25GW module manufacturing base in the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone, in China’s Jiangsu province.
Expected to require an investment of around RMB4 billion (US$574 million), the project is scheduled to begin construction in 2023 and be put into production by the end of the year.
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Tongwei said it will leverage its silicon and cell manufacturing footprint as it scales up module production.
The Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone is one of the first 14 national economic and technological development Zones in China. The park is focused on the development of next-generation information technology and high-end equipment, attracting significant investments from PV companies.
Tongwei’s announcement comes after it revealed plans in September for a 25GW module manufacturing base in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, also representing an investment of RMB4 billion.
Flurry of module orders
Tongwei currently has a module production capacity of 14GW. In 2023 the company plans to ramp up to 25GW of module production in Nantong, 25GW in Yancheng and 16GW in Jintang, as it aims to reach a total of 80GW by the end of the year.
Industry analysis shows that Tongwei’s overall planning in the module segment may reach 100GW in the long term.
The company’s integrated business layout has a competitive edge: it will become the first comprehensive enterprise in the industry integrating silicon material-wafer-cell-module.
Alongside accelerating its expansion, Tongwei is also obtaining more module orders, frequently posting winning bids in China’s state-owned module procurement bidding process in recent months.
China Resources Power announced in August that Tongwei Solar was successful in a module procurement round as it bid RMB5.83 billion to secure its first large-scale module order.
Tongwei’s solar module shipments are expected to be 5GW this year, before rising to 30GW in 2023 and 50GW in 2024.