Desert Technologies has entered a partnership with Modon for local PV manufacturing in Saudi Arabia
It plans to establish 2 GW of solar module and 3 GW of solar cell production capacity
Jeddah’s 3rd industrial city will house this PV complex on 170,000 m2 area
Solar PV and smart infrastructure holding company Desert Technologies of Saudi Arabia plans to establish 5 GW worth of solar PV cell and module production capacity in the Middle Eastern nation, in partnership with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (Modon).
The plan is to install advanced production lines with a capacity of 2 GW for solar panels and 3 GW for solar cells in an industrial complex in Jeddah’s 3rd industrial city.
The company CEO Khaled Sharbatly shared that the facility will use advanced manufacturing technologies to meet global quality standards to support the local market needs and increase the volume of Saudi exports, especially in the global non-oil export markets.
Modon will provide 170,000 m2 of land for the complex, which the partners tout as one of the largest solar PV production centers in Saudi Arabia. Its construction will entail an investment worth SAR 750 million ($200 million). The project is likely to create over 1,300 jobs.
Back in 2021, Modon had announced plans to help bring up 23 new factories in the country to boost the country’s domestic solar PV manufacturing capacity, including thin-film solar panels, inverters and metal tripods to support the supply chain. It plans to offer more than 360,000 m2 space in 12 industrial cities including the 3 industrial cities of Jeddah (see Saudi Arabia’s PV Production Plans).
Saudi Arabia aims to produce 75% of renewable energy components locally by 2030 as the Kingdom chases the target of attaining carbon neutrality by 2060. In this direction, China’s TCL Zhonghuan will build a 20 GW ingot and wafer manufacturing project here, while JinkoSolar has committed to building a solar cell and module factory with 10 GW capacity each (see 20 GW Solar Ingot, Wafer Manufacturing Fab In Saudi Arabia).