Arizona-based First Solar plans to invest $1.1B in Lawrence County, creating 700 new jobs

First Solar, an Arizona-based photovoltaic (PV) solar module manufacturing company, plans to invest $1.1 billion to establish a facility in Lawrence County, Alabama, according to Governor Kay Ivey. 

The new plant will create 700 new jobs by 2025. 

Top 10 Solar Manufacturer 

“First Solar is a world-class manufacturer, and its solar modules are poised to play an increasingly important role in U.S. energy self-sufficiency,” said Governor Ivey who made the announcement this week. 

The facility in Lawrence County’s Mallard Fox West Industrial Complex is expected to be commissioned in 2025, with a planned annual capacity of 3.5 GW. 

The company holds the distinction as one of  the world’s 10 largest solar manufacturers and the only U.S. based corporation not manufacturing in China. 

“This facility, along with its sister factories in Ohio, will form part of the industrial foundation that helps ensure this transition is powered by American innovation and ingenuity,” said CEO of First Solar Mark Widmar.

Explosive Growth

First Solar estimates that its new investments in Alabama and Ohio, now estimated at approximately $1.3 billion, will add at least 850 new manufacturing and over 100 new R&D jobs, taking its total number of direct jobs in the U.S. to over 3,000 people in four states by 2025, which is believed to make it the largest employer in the American solar manufacturing sector.

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