NEWS

Norwegian solar ingot and wafer maker NorSun has decided to cease domestic operations, citing the impact of low-cost imports from China and Southeast Asia, and will shift its focus to the US where it is readying a 5-GW factory.

“The discontinuation of our operations in Norway is a result of oversupply and lack of regulations in Europe,” CEO Erik Løkke-Øwre noted in a press statement on Tuesday.

The factory, located in Ardal in western Norway, has an annual capacity of 1 GW from 88 ingot pullers and wafering capacity from 16 diamond wire saws, according to the company’s website. The site produced the first ingot in March 2008.

In September 2023, the Norwegian firm had to temporarily halt production at the Ardal plant and temporarily lay off employees until the turn of the year in response to “the price drop and the build-up of modules in stock […] creating major challenges for European players in solar energy.”

After discontinuing its operations at home, the Oslo-based firm will now concentrate its efforts on a USD-620-million (EUR 590.6m) project for an ingot and wafer production plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The planned facility already attracted interest from future customers, such as Heliene and Silfab.

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