US thin-film solar module maker First Solar Inc (NASDAQ:FSLR) said Thursday it has selected Louisiana as the location for its planned fifth US factory.
The company announced in July it intends to invest up to USD 1.1 billion (EUR 998m) in a fifth fully vertically integrated manufacturing facility in the US with an annual production capacity of 3.5 GW. The location was yet to be selected.
First Solar has now unveiled it will site the plant at the Acadiana Regional Airport in Iberia Parish, Louisiana.
The factory is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026 and to expand the company’s US nameplate manufacturing capacity to about 14 GW.
“As we evaluated our options, Louisiana’s ability to deliver the talent we need stood out, thanks to its extensive workforce development initiatives and the presence of academic institutions such as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette which now features a world-class solar energy lab,” said First Solar chief executive Mark Widmar.
More than 700 new direct manufacturing jobs are expected to be created in Louisiana as a result of First Solar’s investment.
The new plant will manufacture First Solar’s Series 7 modules with 100% US-made components identified in the current domestic content guidance of by the US Department of Treasury. The company notes that its tellurium-based semiconductor allows it to avoid any reliance on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains.
First Solar currently has 13 GW of global nameplate capacity, up from 6 GW in 2020, and expects to add another 12 GW in the US and India between the second half of 2023 and 2026.
(USD 1 = EUR 0.908)
