Hanwha SolarOne, a top-10 global photovoltaic manufacturer of solar modules, will build a new solar photovoltaic (PV) module factory in Eumseong, Chungbuk, South Korea. Hanwha SolarOne expects to invest $12 million to build the facility, which is scheduled to begin production in the second quarter of 2015 with an annual capacity of 230 megawatts (MW).
According to Hanwha SolarOne, the company is building the new factory to service local Korean demand as well as further diversify the company’s manufacturing capacity. In addition this will give Hanwha SolarOne the ability to supply tariff-free modules to the U.S.
“Hanwha SolarOne is proud to help South Korea become greener with clean solar electricity,” said Seong-woo Nam, chief executive officer of Hanwha SolarOne. “This new facility will also further diversify our manufacturing footprint, allowing us to offer tariff free modules to the U.S. The Hanwha Group has successfully managed trade disputes in dozens of industries over the last 60 years, something no other tier-one solar manufacturer can claim.”
Hanwha SolarOne will hire about 200 new employees to work at the facility, including research and development personnel to focus on developing innovative module technology.
The new plant will add to current expansions already underway to bring the company’s cell production capacity to 1.5 gigawatts (GW) and module production to 2 GW by the end of this year. Once the new module factory is complete in South Korea, Hanwha SolarOne’s total module production capacity will reach 2.23 GW.
