As part of China's Belt and Road global infrastructure development initiative, Chinese solar PV manufacturer Trina Solar is set to establish a vertically integrated manufacturing facility in the UAE.
The company has announced plans to build a production facility for about 50,000 tons of high-purity silicon, 30 GW of silicon wafers, 5 GW solar cells and 5 GW PV modules, to be realized in 3 phases.
It will be sited in the China-UAE Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi, operated by the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi Group (KEZAD Group). It comprises 12 economic zones with a total area of 550 sq. kms.
Trina signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project with the Abu Dhabi Ports and Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Cooperation and Investment (JOCIC) during the 3rd Belt and Road Initiative forum in Beijing on October 18, 2023. JOCIC is the Chinese government-owned entity to manage and operate the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone (ICCDZ). The MoU will be valid for a period of 3 years.
Trina says this investment will further promote its PV industry chain layout in China and support its overseas growth to continue smoothly. In September 2023, Trina announced a 5 GW solar fab in the US (see Another Chinese Solar Producer Heads To The US).
It stated, "The level of internationalization is an important measure for the company to improve the vertically integrated global layout of production capacity and is in line with the company's development, strategic planning and the interests of all shareholders."
While China remains the biggest market for local solar PV manufacturers in the world's largest solar market, companies here are now expanding their footprint to outside China, even beyond Asia.
While other quickly expanding markets of the US, Europe and India follow protectionist policies, Chinese PV makers seem to be eyeing the Middle East for international expansion. Trina's announcement for a Middle Eastern production base follows another Chinese producer TCL Zhonghuan revealing plans for a solar wafer plant in Saudi Arabia with Vision Industries (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Another polysilicon manufacturer GCL Technology is also exploring potential for a 120,000 tons/year manufacturing fab in Saudi Arabia (see Chinese Polysilicon Company Eyeing Middle East).