Desert Technologies plans 5-GW solar factory in Saudi Arabia

Desert Technologies is planning to invest SAR 750 million (USD 200m/EUR 183.4m) to build a 5-GW solar panel and cell factory in Jeddah’s third industrial zone on the west coast of Saudi Arabia.

The Jeddah-based manufacturer has agreed to partner on the development of the industrial complex with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones, Modon.

Spanning an area of 170,000 square metres on land provided by Modon, the complex will include production lines for 2 GW solar panels and 3 GW solar cells.

The solar panels and cells produced at the facility will meet the growing local demand for solar energy solutions and strengthen the Kingdom's position in the global non-oil export markets, Desert Technologies said last week.

The initiative is the latest in a series of projects announced in recent months which are aimed at localising manufacturing technology for green energy expansion in Saudi Arabia. These include building production facilities for solar panels and wind turbines, as well as battery energy storage systems (BESS).

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