Suntech Names Arizona as First U.S. Solar Plant Locale
Suntech confirmed today that it will build its first U.S. fab, employing more than 75 people to start, in the Phoenix area. The Chinese crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturer plans to go after the growing North American utility market.
Aaron Hand, Editor-in-Chief -- PV Society, 11/16/2009
Although the crystalline silicon solar leader has yet to make a final decision on a specific location, Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP, Wuxi, China) has confirmed that its first U.S.-based solar cell manufacturing facility will be located in the Phoenix area. Looking to make its move on the growing North American market, Suntech will set an initial production capacity of 30 MW, expected to begin in the third quarter of 2010.
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| Zhengrong Shi, Suntech chairman and CEO |
Suntech made the announcement today from the U.S.-China Green Tech Summit in Beijing. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's chairman and CEO, also talked about his company's upcoming foray into the North American market during a panel discussion at last month's Solar Power International conference.
The solar cell manufacturer recently launched a product, Reliathon, specifically designed for the utility market. And that, Shi noted, will be "a very important market" in the United States. In Suntech's latest release, he noted that the company is actively involved with several large-scale solar project developers serving the utility market in the United States.
According to Suntech, it is the first Chinese cleantech leader to bring manufacturing jobs to the United States. The U.S. plant will employ more than 75 full-time employees at launch, and may double its staff within the year as the local market develops.
"Bringing manufacturing jobs to the U.S. is part of Suntech's vision to grow the solar market in every corner of the world," Shi said. "We are eagerly watching growing markets and see the potential of bringing manufacturing capabilities to other markets where we see the combination of rapid local market growth and manufacturing cost competitiveness."
The U.S. plant, initially set for 30 MW production capacity, with be configured for growth, with ~80,000-100,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
Suntech said it selected the Phoenix area for several reasons, including leading research at Arizona State University; statewide renewable energy policies, particularly Arizona's renewable energy standard (RES) and distributed generation set-aside; and a supportive local business climate.
At the panel discussion in October, Shi expressed his company's long-term commitment to the U.S. solar market. "This is the first step in what I see as a long-term, strategic investment in the North American market," he said in today's statement. "The leadership shown by the US government in advancing renewable energy will only improve the environment for further investments in the coming years."
