First Solar has inaugurated its facility in Tamil Nadu, India, becoming the country’s first vertically integrated solar manufacturing plant.
T R B Rajaa, the Minister for Industries, Promotions, and Commerce of the Government of Tamil Nadu, presided over the inauguration ceremony.
The facility boasts an annual nameplate capacity of 3.3 gigawatts (GW) and provides direct employment to approximately 1,000 individuals.
It specializes in the production of First Solar’s Series 7 photovoltaic (PV) solar modules, designed at the company’s research and development centers in the US to cater to the Indian market. First Solar stands out globally as the only US-headquartered company in the list of major solar manufacturers. First Solar’s tellurium-based semiconductor, the second most common photovoltaic technology worldwide, enables it to reduce reliance on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains.
First Solar’s manufacturing unit is built with an investment of approximately $700 million, including $500 million in previously announced DFC financing. The facility is First Solar’s sixth operational factory and expands the company’s global manufacturing footprint to four countries, including the US, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar expressed pride in the achievement, emphasizing, “The inauguration of this landmark manufacturing facility and the launch of commercial shipments to customers in India is a crucial milestone in our journey to long-term and sustainable growth.”