The Taiwanese manufacturer said it has sold its Jhunan Kebei plant to a Taiwan-based maker of masks for semiconductor production. However, it will increase capacity at its manufacturing facility in Tainan by up to 200 MW in the third quarter.
United Renewable Energy (URE), a Taiwan-based solar cell and module maker, announced the disposal this week of its Jhunan Kebei manufacturing facility, as part of its broader efforts to consolidate production.
It sold the facility to Taiwan Mask Corp., a local producer of masks for semiconductor output. “The deal is expected to be around NT$1.04 billion, and transfer will be complete before end of the year,” the company said, adding that it will continue to manufacture solar cells and modules at other production sites in Taiwan.
“Right now, URE still have Jhunan Keyan, Houkou, Hsinchu, Tainan, Vietnam and Thailand production sites,” the manufacturer told pv magazine.
The company currently has a solar cell production capacity of 2.5 GW, while its panel capacity stands at 1.1 GW. “Around 1.5 GW of cell capacity is located in Taiwan, while the rest is in Vietnam and Thailand,” it said. As for the modules, it has 600 MW of production capacity is based in Taiwan and 500 MW in Vietnam. “We also outsource about another 200MW of module from our supplier in Taiwan,” it added.
URE plans to expand module production in the third quarter of this year at its facility in Tainan, by up to 200MW. “This is due to strong local demand from solar system projects,” the company explained, without disclosing additional details about its capacity expansion plans. “URE transforms to focus on own-brand module and solar system business, the solar cell production was adjusted according to changes in the market.”
In December, the vertically integrated solar manufacturer revealed plans to build a 193 MW solar project near the city of Tainan. The installation will be one of the largest ground-mounted PV arrays on the island upon completion.
Source: pv magazine
