Kalyon Solar increases module capacity to 1 GW

Turkish PV manufacturer Kalyon Solar Technologies announced it will increase the capacity of its ingot-to-module solar factory in Ankara from 500 MW, currently, to 1 GW by June 2021.

The capacity increase will be implemented with the support of Chinese state-owned conglomerate China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), which is partnering with Kalyon Solar in the development of the manufacturing facility. Through this plan, the number of employees at the manufacturing facility will grow from 1,400 to 2,100, the manufacturer said in a statement. The new production equipment will be provided by CETC.

The reason for the capacity increase, the company went on to say, is rising panel demand from both domestic and foreign markets.

The $400 million vertically-integrated fab was inaugurated in late August and is part of a $1.4 billion project which includes the construction of a 1 GW solar plant 260km south of the Turkish capital, in Konya. The overall project was tendered by the Turkish government in 2017 and a consortium formed by Konya Solar and South Korea-based solar manufacturer Hanhwa Q Cells was the winner but the latter walked away from the deal a few months later.

CECT replaced the Korean company as a new project partner in October 2019. The Turkish government decided to subsidize the facility in September 2019, with a TRL1.99 billion ($333 million) “super incentive.” The factory is being exempted from customs tax and VAT and is securing the repayment of the latter as well as other fiscal and employee incentives, including health insurance premiums and support for qualified personnel.