Waaree Energies to build 3-gigawatt module plant in Texas
Date: 21 Dec 2023
Waaree
Energies (“Waaree”), India's largest solar PV module manufacturer and major
supplier to the U.S., announced it will establish its first U.S. manufacturing
facility in the Houston areas. The facility, located in the town of Brookshire,
will have the initial capacity to manufacture 3 gigawatts (GW) of solar modules
annually by the end of 2024.
Waaree
plans to invest up to$ 1 billion over the next four years to scale its annual
module manufacturing production up to 5 GW by 2027, making it one of the
largest solar module manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Waaree will also add
an integrated U.S.-made solar cell facility that is expected to be operational
by 2025. In total, Waaree’s new facility is expected to create over 1,500 total
jobs in the US when at full capacity.
Waaree
already has a major presence in the U.S. solar market. To date Waaree has
supplied over 4 GW of modules from its current Indian facility to U.S.
customers. Waaree’s ambitious U.S. expansion benefits from the long-term supply
agreement with SB Energy, a leading climate infrastructure and technology
platform with over 2 GW of solar in operations, 1 GW in construction, and
another 15 GW+ of solar and storage in development across the U.S. Waaree will
supply multi-GWs of solar modules to SB Energy over the next 5 years following
the commissioning of the facility which is expected to be set-up in 2024.The
deal further enhances SB Energy’s leadership in the domestic supply chain and
ensures availability of modules for a growing pipeline of projects.
“We
are proud of this significant commitment by Waaree to U.S. domestic solar
manufacturing,” said Waaree Chairman and Managing Director Hitesh Doshi. In
partnership with a company of SB Energy’s mission and stature, Waaree is
fostering a solar manufacturing ecosystem in Texas, a state that has taken a
leading position in clean energy manufacturing.
“We
are delighted to expand our U.S. supply chain with Waaree, a leading global
supplier of solar modules. Through our long-term supply agreements, we are
proud to support the growing U.S. solar supply chain and well-paying
manufacturing jobs,” said Abhijeet Sathe, co-CEO of SB Energy. “Waaree brings a
proven track record of delivering superior technology to some of the largest
solar projects in the U.S. and India,” he added.
“Most
major components used in the manufacturing of these solar modules will be
sourced domestically, enabled in part due to the Inflation Reduction Act,”
stated Sunil Rathi, Board member, Waaree Solar Americas Inc., adding that, “By
setting up the new facility in the Houston area, Waaree brings critical
technologies that will boost American solar production, reducing reliance on
overseas sources while supporting strong U.S. jobs. We are committed to the
U.S. and its growing demand for clean energy.”