- First Solar plans to construct a 3.3GW solar module manufacturing facility in India.
- The facility will have a recycling unit to recycle up to 90 per cent of materials.
- The company expects the facility to commence operations in 2023.
US solar panel manufacturer First Solar has announced plans to invest $684 million in a 3.3GW thin-film solar module manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, India. The company says that pending approval from the Indian government, the facility will commence operations in H2 2023. The company expects the facility to create over 1,000 new jobs in Tamil Nadu.
Mark Widmar, First Solar’s CEO, stated: “India is an inherently sustainable market, underpinned by a growing economy and appetite for energy, with a well-defined goal that will need over 25GW of solar to be deployed every year; for the next nine years.”
Widmar added that First Solar selected India because of the country’s approach to promoting development in the crystalline silicon solar supply chain. He adds that India offers a “kind of level-playing field needed for non-Chinese solar manufacturers to compete on their own merits.”
First Solar says that the facility will be involved in the sourcing, manufacturing, and lifecycle management of materials. The facility will also include a high-value recycling facility capable of recovering 90 per cent of materials from processed modules for reuse.