Norwegian ingot and wafer manufacturer NorSun has announced a plan to build a 5GW ingot and wafer manufacturing plant in Oklahoma, US.
The new manufacturing plant, located in Tulsa, is expected to begin construction in late 2024 and production in 2026. NorSun plans to invest US$620 million in the new facility and has identified a shovel-ready site covering about 60 acres.
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NorSun said the new manufacturing plant will provide “critically needed domestic production of ingot and wafer capacity” to meet the increasing demand from US cell and module manufacturers.
The company added that the new ingot and wafer manufacturing plant can be expanded to reach an annual manufacturing capacity of 10GW.
“Oklahoma impressed us even before our selection journey – its robust clean energy, manufacturing ecosystem and workforce development programs were already on our radar, and its competitive business offerings and site acceleration options solidified our decision,” said Erik Løkke-Øwre, CEO of NorSun.
NorSun secured NOK90 million (US$8.5 million) in equity financing in August 2023 to support its expansion in Europe and the US. After securing the funding, Norsun said it would be looking to finalise its plans for a 5GW US wafer manufacturing facility, which will be coordinated with assessments for possible expansions in the Årdal region of Norway, the location of its current plant, alongside other European locations.
However, a month later, NorSun decided to temporarily stop production and lay off employees due to an influx of “exceptionally low price” Chinese solar modules. In a statement, NorSun said import restrictions in the US had caused re-routing of Chinese modules to Europe, leading to a large inventory build-up in Europe.
