Risen Energy Co., a Chinese PV manufacturer, is set to develop a $7 billion integrated solar power factory in Inner Mongolia that will run on renewable energy. According to a filing with the Shenzhen stock exchange on December 27, 2021, the project will produce materials across the supply chain, from industrial silicon to finished solar modules. It will also contain solar, wind, and renewable energy storage facilities, from which it will draw power.
According to the filing, the plant, which will be completed in two phases, will be capable of producing 200,000 tonnes of industrial silicon, 150,000 tonnes of polysilicon, 10 GW of solar cells, and 3 GW of modules per year. It is also the newest solar production centre outside of Xinjiang. Risen shall be investing 25.2 billion yuan on the factory’s power infrastructure, including 3.5 GW of solar and 1.6 GW of wind, as well as an energy storage facility. The filing did not specify whether the plant’s operations will be entirely fuelled by renewable energy.
In June 2021, Risen Energy planned to invest $13.35 billion in a new solar PV cell and module manufacturing center in Malaysia over a 15-year period. A 3 GW manufacturing plant will be built in Kedah, in the north-western region of Malaysia. This step is in the direction of expanding the manufacturer’s presence in Southeast Asia.
REGlobal’s Views: Asia, and especially China, has long been a dominant supplier of solar cells and modules across the globe. However, in the current geopolitical climate, many Chinese players have started setting up production facilities in other nations as well to diversify, and thereby secure, their supply chains.