Around US$600 million will be invested by Invenergy through a newly established company named Illuminate USA in the project, with an additional US$220 million committed to the purchase and construction of a 1.1 million square foot industrial complex in Pataskala, Ohio.
LONGi, a member of the Solar Module Super League (SMSL), is making its first step into the US market with this announcement. The company recently spent US$6.7 billion on a new production site in China with the potential to produce 100GW of solar wafers and 50GW of solar cells annually.
Commercial operations are anticipated to begin by the end of 2023, with construction beginning in April. Nevertheless, it is unknown how much capacity will really be functioning by then, as the corporations have not shared that information. The PV Tech team has contacted Illuminate USA to discuss the matter further.
When complete, the 5GW module assembly factory will manufacture mono and bifacial solar panels for use in homes and large power plants alike.
More than 6GW of solar projects have been created by Invenergy throughout the world, including 775MW located in the state of Ohio alone.
“As an American business and a prominent developer and operator of solar projects in the US, we recognise the necessity of having a robust domestic supply chain to fulfil the fast-growing demand for cheap solar electricity,” said Art Fletcher, SVP, global sourcing at Invenergy.
First Solar, a thin film solar manufacturer, is headquartered in Ohio and operates three PV facilities in the state, with the third ramping up its activity this year to reach 3GW of annual capacity. The company has also invested US$270 million in a new research and development facility in Perrysburg.
