Clayco On Board For NorSun’s 5 GW US Solar Wafer Manufacturing Plant

Norwegian monocrystalline solar wafer manufacturer NorSun has formally signed an EPC contract with US-based design, engineering and construction firm Clayco for its 5 GW monocrystalline solar wafer manufacturing plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the US.  

The company announced the US fab after having shuttered its Norwegian plant due to the lack of demand with huge Chinese inventory in European warehouses (see It Is Tulsa Time For NorSun’s Maiden US Wafer Factory).  

Clayco plans to break ground on site in 2025, with the 1st wafer expected to be rolled out of the factory in mid-2026. NorSun says it selected Clayco after a rigorous selection process, having signed it up as the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) partner for its US expansion in September 2023. 

“Their focus on collaboration and experience in delivering large-scale projects of this nature has given us great trust in their ability to deliver on budget, schedule and quality while executing the work with the highest safety and environmental standards,” said NorSun’s Project Director Harald Bakke.  

NorSun unveiled the 5 GW US plant in June this year and secured long-term land lease agreements with the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Airport Improvement Trust (TAIT). 

NorSun has already secured a multi-year contract for its US-made silicon wafers from Heliene thanks to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that incentivizes the use of domestically manufactured PV components (see NorSun Bags Multi-Year US-Made Silicon Wafers Contract With Heliene). 

The movement on NorSun’s US wafer factory follows the US government’s decision to include solar ingot and wafer production under Section 48D making these eligible for investment credits under the CHIPS and Science Act (see US Announces Tax Credits For Ingots & Wafers Under CHIPS & Science Act).