Maxeon Solar Technologies has chosen Albuquerque for its first U.S. manufacturing expansion. A three-gigawatt facility will focus on producing advanced TOPCon PV-silicon cells and shingled-cell Performance Line solar modules, the company said in a press release.
"The Inflation Reduction Act has catalyzed a new chapter in America's energy transition. Our new solar cell and panel facility in New Mexico is an ambitious and concrete response to the need to decarbonize the U.S. economy while creating permanent, highly skilled local manufacturing and engineering jobs," Bill Mulligan, Maxeon CEO, said in the press release.
"We expect the new plant will also serve as an anchor to attract further regional investment in the solar supply chain. As a company that started in Silicon Valley 38 years ago, we are proud to be bringing U.S.-developed technologies back home and to contribute to the reshoring of a domestic solar supply chain," he said.
Products from the plant will serve both utility-scale power plants and distributed rooftop applications, the company said. The facility is expected to cost over $1 billion and is contingent on funds from the U.S. Department of Energy's Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program.
It is anticipated to be the first large-scale PV cell and panel manufacturing plant in New Mexico, with a projected capacity nearly twice the size of the current largest silicon solar manufacturing site in the United States, the company release said.
The site chosen for the plant is in Mesa Del Sol. The project is projected to generate up to 1,800 jobs, including skilled manufacturing and engineering positions. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2024, and factory operations are expected to begin in 2025, the company release said.