More Local Steel For Solar In US

• Portugal's Metalogalva and Brazil's Soufer JV MSS Steel launches its 1st US steel plant
• The 3 GW fab in Tennessee will dedicatedly supply steel torque tubes to Nextracker's utility scale projects
• Nextracker has also announced a new 3 GW tracker supply deal with Silicon Ranch for trackers made with US steel

MSS Steel Tubes USA has commissioned a new 3 GW factory to produce low-carbon steel components in Tennessee to provide domestically manufactured steel torque tubes for Nextracker's solar tracking systems.

The new fab in Memphis of MSS Steel, a joint venture between Portuguese industrial player Metalogalva and Brazilian steelmaker Soufer, is the company's 1^st US plant. Metalogalva CEO Antonio Pedro Antunes said Memphis was picked because of the presence of transportation, infrastructure and skilled workforce to support the solar manufacturing program.

Steel torque tubes produced here will support Nextracker's utility scale solar demand across the Southeast in Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi and Georgia.

Nextracker says most of these projects belong to Silicon Ranch Corporation with whom it has a 1.5 GW supply agreement signed in 2022 (see 1.5 GW US Tracker Deal For Nextracker). Additionally, the duo has signed another 3 GW supply agreement on May 18, 2023 coinciding with the announcement of the 3 GW fab coming online.

Nextracker Founder and CEO Dan Shugar said, "We are excited to inaugurate a new dedicated Nextracker manufacturing line in Memphis with MSS Steel Tubes USA, and to continue to team with Silicon Ranch with a new 3 GW multi-year agreement to provide the Tennessee Valley and greater Southeast with our high performing systems."

For Silicon Ranch, the 3 GW new agreement with Nextracker provides it quick project delivery while bringing down its carbon footprint in the supply chain and also bring down logistics risks, according to the company's Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr.

The US tracker maker is already sourcing its steel requirements from Texas located JM Steel fab, Arizona based Atkore facility and Bethlehem steel fab of BCI Steel in Pittsburg (see Steel Fab Reopens In US For Nextracker).

Earlier in February 2023, another US tracker company FTC Solar roped in Thailand's Taihua New Energy to produce steel components for utility scale solar PV projects in the US (see US Solar Tracker Maker Wants Locally Produced Steel).