Local Chinese news outlets reported on October 20 that Shanxi Huachu Photoelectric and Suzhou Horad New Energy Equipment have entered into an agreement to jointly develop a 5GW smart turnkey PV module manufacturing project. The agreement was signed by Huachu chairman Yan Chunming and Xie Leilei, director of Horad’s global marketing center. Yan is also the director of the new energy business unit at Huayang New Material Technology and the CEO of Shanxi Xinyang Clean Energy.
This project is going to be the largest PV module manufacturing operation in Shanxi Province to date. The layout of the manufacturing facilities in this project will be designed in a way that takes advantage of the local natural terrain. The process lines will be arranged in a “swastika” pattern and feature a “double-deck docking system”. The setup of the process lines seeks to minimize the distance for the transportation of materials and components and ensure an uninterrupted process flow without any incidence of backtracking. The total area of the factory floor is expected to reach around 140,000 square meters and will accommodate 10 smart production lines. The local Chinese new outlets claimed that this workshop is set to be the largest of its kind in the PV industry. Products that will be manufactured at the site include high-efficiency TOPCon cells based on 182mm and 210mm wafers and related modules.
The project for manufacturing TOPCon products in Shanxi reportedly represents a landmark green energy venture for Huachu and its affiliates under the major Chinese conglomerate Huayang Group, which is now pursuing energy transition and expanding into renewable sectors. Commenting on the agreement, Xie said his company as a leading supplier of smart manufacturing equipment for PV products is excited to collaborate with Huachu. To help Huayang take its first major step into the green energy market, Horad will be providing an advanced and digitalized solution that encompasses the whole production line. This means that Horad will be developing both hardware and software for the Shanxi project.
The smart turnkey PV module manufacturing project has an annual production capacity of 5GW for TOPCon products. It is touted as the largest vertically integrated production base for PV modules and featuring the most advanced intelligent manufacturing technologies. Based on the coverage by the Chinese news outlets, the amount invested into this project comes to RMB 1.07 billion. Once in operation, the whole base is expected to generate an annual revenue of RMB 6.7 billion, an annual profit of RMB 330 million, and an annual taxable income of RMB 80 million. The development of the project is in line with the Chinese government’s policy of promoting the growth of the domestic PV sector and the upgrading of domestic industries as a whole.