New Delhi: Waaree Energies (Waaree), India’s leading solar PV module manufacturer, has announced plans to establish its first manufacturing facility in the US with initial capacity of producing 3 Gigawatts (GW) of solar modules annually by the end of next year.
The facility, to be located in the town of Brookshire in the Houston area, will involve investment of up to $ 1 billion over the next 4 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 US, the company said.
Waaree will also add an integrated US-made solar cell facility that is expected to be operational by 2025, it said in a statement.
In total, Waaree’s new facility is expected to create over 1,500 total jobs in the US when at full capacity, it said.
Waaree already has a major presence in the US solar market as till date, it has supplied over 4 GW of modules from its current Indian facility to the customers there.
Waaree’s ambitious US 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 US, the company said.
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.
“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,” said Waaree Chairman and Managing Director Hitesh Doshi.
“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 US jobs. We are committed to the U.S. and its growing demand for clean energy,” said Sunil Rathi, Board Member of Waaree Solar Americas Inc.
“Most major components used in the manufacturing of these solar modules will be sourced domestically, enabled in part due to the Inflation Reduction Act,” he added.
