Trina’s 6.5GW Vietnamese wafer factory to be online this year, targeting US market

Viet · Jan 14, 2023

A Trina Solar module assembly line. Image: Trina Solar

Trina Solar US has announced that its 6.5GW PV wafer manufacturing facility in Vietnam specifically designated to supply the US market will be online in mid-2023.

The US arm of the Chinese solar manufacturer has confirmed that its module and cell production in Southeast Asia will use wafers produced at the Vietnam facility as part of its ongoing supply chain diversification in response to the US’s ongoing anti-dumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation.

Last month the US Department of Commerce (DOC) clarified the AD/CVD findings, saying it would allow the import of modules manufactured in third countries using Southeast Asian-made cells.

Trina said that it has already begun developing a supply chain with polysilicon sourced outside of China, with modules and cells manufactured in Southeast Asia. The wafer production facility will further diversify its supply chain, shoring up its compliance with the US’s import laws and solidifying supply to the country.

The firm stance of the US regarding Chinese imports has been softened slightly by President Biden’s decision to waive new AD/CVD import tariffs until 2024, but urgency to respond to tariffs and module shortages – as well as the impetus to capitalise on the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) tax credits – has seen a significant increase in domestic manufacturing announcements.

PV Tech reported last month that 22GW of new module and cell manufacturing capacity had been announced in the US since the passing of the IRA. Perhaps most tellingly, this week solar manufacturer Qcells announced a US$2.5 billion investment in developing a module, cell, wafer and ingot manufacturing chain in the US.