China’s Trina Solar Ltd. has formed a subsidiary in Thailand to set up a US$160 million manufacturing plant for solar cells and modules to serve the Asia Pacific region.
Trina Solar Science & Technology (Thailand) Ltd. will produce 500 megawatts of modules and 700 MW of cell production annually from the facility, which is located in Rayong of Thailand. Production is projected to commence in late 2015 or early 2016.
“Thailand is an ideal location for us to build a new manufacturing base due to its proximity to key emerging markets in the Asia Pacific region as well as its favorable investment environment in terms of land acquisition and labour costs,” said Zhiguo Zhu, COO and President of Module Business Unit of Trina Solar. “The new factory will serve to diversify and expand Trina Solar’s existing manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand from both our established key markets and emerging markets.
“We believe diversifying our global manufacturing capacity will allow us to better leverage resources more cost effectively, enhance our competitiveness in overseas markets and enable us to increase our global market share. Besides, Thailand is also a particularly attractive PV market given its sunny environment, long-term PV subsidies, and favorable government policies towards the solar sector. We are also very delighted that our investment in the region will help create jobs and support local economic development, as well as further develop the solar industry in Thailand.”