Algeria’s Condor claims PV business is fully operational

Algerian electronics manufacturer Condor has said its PV business unit had filed for insolvency and insisted recent staff cuts reported by Algerian media outlets have not affected its solar operations.

“The photovoltaic business unit continues to operate under normal conditions,” the company told pv magazine. “As proof of this, Condor Photovoltaïques is preparing future projects that are very promising in the renewable energy sector.”

The company said it had secured the rights to build a 50 MW solar project in a tender finalized in October, as part of a consortium alongside Algerian company El Sewedy. “Another project for the supply of equipment for the production of 50 MW for SKTM, [a] subsidiary of Algerian gas provider Sonelgaz, is also under way,” the company said. Condor said it had implemented technological improvements at its 130 MW production capacity factory, including the adoption of PERC technology and a shift toward four-busbar cells.

The group has refused to directly respond to reports in Tunisian and Algerian media outlets indicating it had initiated insolvency proceedings with the Algerian authorities. The manufacturer also did not explain how Condor Photovoltaïques is linked to the group’s broader corporate structure.

pv magazine this week reported almost 40% of the group’s 1,000 workers had been let go. At the time, the company had not responded to our enquiry to verify the accuracy of the information disclosed in the local media.