LAKE TOWNSHIP, OH—First Solar Inc. has begun construction of a new $400 million solar module assembly plant near its existing factory in Perrysburg, OH. 

The new facility is expected to create 500 jobs in northwestern Ohio, and will produce the company’s Series 6 large-format, thin-film photovoltaic modules. The 1 million square foot assembly plant is expected to begin full production in late 2019. When complete, the plant will be the second-largest in the Western Hemisphere, and will triple the company’s U.S. manufacturing capacity. 

“Strong demand in the U.S. for advanced solar technology, along with recent changes in U.S. corporate tax policies, have encouraged our decision to grow First Solar’s U.S. production operations,” said Mike Koralewski, First Solar’s senior vice president of global manufacturing. “State and local officials and JobsOhio have also worked with us to create a business-friendly environment that supported our objectives. These factors, combined with our own economies of scale in high tech manufacturing, make expanding U.S. operations an attractive, win-win opportunity.”