Minnesota-based solar panel manufacturer Heliene announced last month it would partner with Premier Energies to manufacture silicon solar cells within the state, and now the company has a domestic wafer supply established after signing a multi-year contract with NorSun.
NorSun, which has been producing silicon wafers in Norway since 2007, intends to start a 5-GW wafer factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that should begin production in 2026. Heliene anticipates its cell factory in Minnesota will reach 1 GW of annual capacity, with a start date yet to be announced.
“Partnering with NorSun and incorporating wafers produced at their new Tulsa facility into our modules will enable us to greatly expand the impact of a friend-shored supply chain,” said Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Heliene. “NorSun and Heliene share a commitment to building a sustainable, low-carbon U.S. solar supply chain and offering customers high-quality, reliable domestic content sustainable products. We are incredibly proud to embark on this partnership and look forward to shaping the future of the domestic solar manufacturing landscape together.”
NorSun also has an agreement with Silfab to buy its domestic wafers, for use in Silfab’s under-construction solar cell manufacturing plant in South Carolina.
“NorSun is honored to partner with Heliene to supply our wafers for their high-performance solar cells and modules,” said Erik Løkke-Øwre, CEO of NorSun. “The contract signifies the close collaboration with Heliene aimed at delivering premium solar modules to the U.S. market. NorSun and Heliene are both dedicated to developing low carbon, domestically produced solutions based on sustainable value chains free of forced labor. In the months leading up to final decisions at the end of 2024 it is now important that further policy measures are taken to regulate the US market to make sure the IRA program can take full effect.”