Chinese solar company to open first U.S. manufacturing plant in Phoenix

By Rithwik Kalale
Published: Wednesday, January 11, 2023 - 3:31pm

JA Solar, a Chinese solar panel company, will open its first American manufacturing plant in west Phoenix, according to a press release by the company on Tuesday. The new facility is expected to create more than 600 new jobs and start operating in Q4 of this year.

In the joint press release with the Arizona Commerce Authority, the solar panel company said it has invested $60 million into the project. It will use automated assembly lines to produce rooftop solar panels for homes as well as for commercial uses. Once the plant is fully operational, its annual production capacity of two gigawatts will be enough to power roughly 200 million LED lightbulbs. Its two gigawatt capacity would make it the largest manufacturing site of solar/photovoltaic products in Arizona.

The new facility will help the city of Phoenix achieve its goals related to both economic growth and sustainability development.

“Solar and advanced manufacturing facilities are a focus of the economic future of Phoenix and we are honored that JA Solar chose our city for this investment,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego in the statement. “JA Solar will help us further the City’s Climate Action Plan by moving our city forward towards being carbon neutral as well as employing more than 600 people.”

Gov. Katie Hobbs said “there’s no better place in the world” to develop sustainable energy industries like solar power, and that the facility will “add to Arizona’s clean energy reputation.”

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