EliTe Solar has announced plans to venture into solar PV manufacturing in Africa
The overarching aim is to establish an 8 GW PV manufacturing hub in Egypt
It plans to start with a 2 GW solar cell production plant; operations to begin by September 2025
Singapore-headquartered solar PV manufacturer EliTe Solar is expanding its manufacturing footprint to Africa with plans to establish over 8 GW production capacity in Egypt. It plans to start with a 2 GW solar cell manufacturing plant in the African nation.
The solar cell production factory is planned to be located in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone. It will be realized in 2 phases on an area of 78,000 sq. m. with the total investment exceeding $150 million.
Commercial operation of phase I of the cell plant is expected to reach full capacity by September 2025 with estimated annual sales of $190 million, according to EliTe Solar.
According to the company, its PV plans for Egypt will position the country as an important PV manufacturing center in the Middle East and North Africa region. This will enhance its export capacity and economic influence in the global markets.
EliTe’s current operational manufacturing capacity comprises 3 GW of solar cell and 3 GW of silicon wafer production in Vietnam, and a 2 GW solar cell factory in Cambodia. In September 2023, Chinese EPC company Anhui Gourgen announced plans to acquire a 70% equity stake in EliTe Solar (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
According to a Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) report from 2023, Africa has the potential to install 180 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and 1.2 TW by 2050, for which it needs to scale up manufacturing capabilities with a helping hand from its main trading partner China (see Now Time To Explore Renewable Energy Manufacturing In Africa).