More GW-Scale Module Plans For Europe

• Belinus announces plans to build 5 GW solar PV production capacity in Georgia and Belgium
• Phase I will have 500 MW TOPCon solar panel production line coming up, followed by over 1 GW TBC line under phase II
• Company targets to start commercial production by the end of Q1/2024 and continue its expansion drive with leading tier I manufacturers

Ahead of the European Commission's (EC) providing fine print of the Green Deal Industrial Plan (GDIP) on March 16, Belgian solar module manufacturer Belinus has announced to set up cell and module manufacturing capacities. It picked tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and tandem back contact (TBC) cell technologies to build over 5 GW solar module capacity in  Belgium and Georgia by 2025, to target not only Europe but also the US.

Belnius said under phase I, a 500 MW TOPCon solar panel production line will be established, followed by more than 1 GW TBC line under phase II. It targets to start commercial production by the end of Q1/2024.

"A new factory allows Belinus to tighten its distributorship network and presence not just around Europe but to target the US market too. The company will continue its expansion drive with leading Tier 1 manufacturers," stated the manufacturer that says it will realize these plans by establishing tight cooperation with the Limburg government and Belgian Research Institute for Tandem Technology.

Company Chairman Francis Rome said the group is currently on the lookout for a Plant Manager and Group CEO to speed up its manufacturing expansion that currently stands at 2.2 GW annually. Headquartered in Thor Park in Belgium's Genk, Belinus says it operates in more than 10 nations and all its panels are manufactured in Bloomberg tier 1 factories.

Europe is hoping for the GDIP to do for it what the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is doing for the US, bringing in vertically integrated solar PV manufacturing to the country. Before Belinus, several other PV players have already announced their plans to either enter or expand their manufacturing footprint in the US.

While Enel Green Power is building its 3Sun 3 GW heterojunction (HJT) fab, French start-up Carbon recently said it wants to produce 5 GW cells and 3.5 GW modules annually using n-type technology in France. Iberdrola and Exiom are also collaborating for an industrial scale solar panel plant in Spain (see France To Host Integrated Solar Gigafactory).

After the EC extended the state aid rules for renewable energy and clean tech production in the form of Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, looks like more such announcements should follow (see EU's New Measures To Boost Solar PV Manufacturing).