China’s Akcome to expand HJT solar cell capacity by 4.6 GW

 Akcome Technology has announced a planned investment of CNY 2.1 billion ($295 million) in fixed assets to expand its HJT cell capacity by 4.6 GW, with the first production line scheduled for completion in January 2024. Currently, Akcome’s Suzhou, Ganzhou, Huzhou, and Zhoushan production bases have a total capacity of 3.2 GW of HJT cells, 0.8 GW of passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) capacity, and 10.4 GW of solar panels. Despite on-hand orders for 2.95 GW of HJT modules, the company’s current HJT cell production capacity falls short of meeting demand for new orders.

Daqo New Energy has announced plans to add new production capacity, including silicon metal, in Shihezi, in China’s Xinjiang region. It plans to invest a total of CNY 15 billion. The development is two-phased and is expected to add 300,000 metric tons (MT) of silicon metal capacity, 100 MT of polysilicon, and 2.2 million seed rods when complete. The company said that implementation hinges on market conditions, shareholder approval, government filings and approvals, and energy consumption approvals.

CECC has launched its 2024 solar inverter tender, totaling 42 GW across four sections. It is seeking 10 GW of inverters above 3.125 MW in size, 27 GW for string inverters above 300 KW, and 5 GW for string inverters in the range of 10 kW to 150 kW.