Solar module manufacturer REC has shelved the construction of a 4GW French heterojunction module manufacturing facility, citing “changes in market conditions”.
The facility was scheduled to produce 2GW capacity in its first phase, and a further 2GW in an expanded second phase.
Last year REC Group was bought by Reliance New Energy Solar, a subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, with the intention of expanding the company’s solar manufacturing capacity to over 5GW within a few years. Reliance specifically intended to provide support for the construction of the French facility, as well as a 1GW US plant.
It’s the second module manufacturing plant to be abandoned in France in recent months. In early October, Maxeon Solar Technologies ceased operations at its Porcelette plant in the north east of the country, saying that rising production costs had made the facility unviable.
Maxeon subsequently began scouting locations for a new plant in the US, as reported in PV Tech Premium.