French PV manufacturer Carbon sets sights on compatriot Photowatt

French solar product maker Carbon has signed a draft agreement to acquire domestic sector player Photowatt to support its ambitions to become a gigawatt-scale producer of photovoltaic (PV) cells, wafers and modules.

The proposal is associated with a EUR-40-million (USD4.7m) investment plan for Photowatt, Carbon said on Thursday as it committed to keeping personnel at the targeted business’ Bourgoin-Jallieu manufacturing base and to expanding its workforce to 200 by 2026.

Photowatt operates a factory for ingots, wafers and modules in Bourgoin-Jallieu, in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region. The company is currently owned by EDF Renewables.

Carbon’s plan is to integrate Photowatt into a project to set up a 500-MW PV modules factory that is set to go online by end-2025. It will be the first step of a broader plan for a PV gigafactory in Fos-sur-Mer, in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of southern France.

According to the statement, EDF will back Carbon’s plan by placing a contract for PV panels.

“EDF Renewables believes that CARBON’s proposed acquisition of Photowatt would give new momentum to the company, secure its operations, and safeguard jobs at the site,” said Bruno Fyot, Deputy CEO of EDF Renewables.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.118)

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