Chinese PV Industry Brief: more manufacturing capacity from Trina, GCL Integration and Eging PV

Shenzhen-listed module manufacturer GCL Integration (GCL) announced last week it has signed an agreement with the government of Leshan City, in Sichuan province, for the construction of a 10 GW solar cell factory. The facility is expected to be built in two 5 GW phases with a total investment of RMB4.3 billion ($652 million). The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 while the second phase is scheduled for completion in June 2022. On Monday, the company also announced a capital increase of RMB790 million. These funds will be used to accelerate the construction of a 60 GW module factory that GCL is planning to build in Hefei city, Anhui province. Construction of the first, 15 GW phase was launched in December, with completion scheduled by June.

Shanghai-listed PV module maker and EPC contractor Eging PV announced last week a plan to increase its cell and module capacity. The company's existing factory in Jintan, Jiangsu province, will be upgraded and its module capacity will reach 3 GW while the cell capacity will be raised to 2 GW. The manufacturer will invest RMB1.5 billion in this new plan.

Panel provider Trina Solar had decided to build a new 8.5 GW monocrystalline solar cell factory in Yancheng City, Jiangsu province. The planned investment in the factory, which is expected to begin manufacturing activity within 24 months, amounts to around RMB3 billion. The new manufacturing facility will increase the company's planned annual production capacity in Yancheng City to 18.5 GW by 2023.

Module manufacturer JinkoSolar has agreed to buy up to 338 million square meters of solar glass from Chinese manufacturer Flat Glass. This amount would be enough to produce around 59 GW of modules up to 2023. The purchase price will be negotiated on a monthly basis.

Panel producer JA Solar has agreed to buy 32,400-43,200 metric tons of polysilicon from Xinjiang-based manufacturer Daqo. Shipments will be made up to December 2023. Also, in this case, the purchase price will be negotiated on a monthly basis.

Project developer and module provider Canadian Solar announced last week the sale of its 30% stake in Big Fish SPV S.r.l. and Iron SPV S.r.l. to Italian renewable energy company Falck Renewables. The two companies own solar plants with a combined capacity of 290 MW located in Italy. The financial terms of the transaction were not revealed.

Galloping sales of gas-guzzling SUVs in China ensured conventional vehicle sales by manufacturer BYD continued to outpace “new energy vehicles”, according to the company’s full-year sales figures. A near 44% year-on-year rise in SUV sales, to 174,298 units, added up to a 2% annual rise in oil-fueled vehicle sales as other conventional models suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. Battery electric vehicle sales for BYD fell 11% year-on-year, to 130,970 units, and the plug-in hybrid figures fell 33% but the company saw a 44% uptick in e-bus sales, to 9,125 units.

The government of Huazhou City, in Guangdong province, announced, last week, a plan to invest RMB650 million in a 150 MW solar project across several locations. The plant will combine power generation with farming, fishery and agriculture. It is estimated the whole project will provide 160 GWh per year.

Hong Kong-listed BEWG Clean Energy Group announced an agreement with the government of Wannian county, Jiangxi province, to develop a 500 MW agrivoltaic project in the region.