First Solar to Build $1B Louisiana Plant

The First Solar facility is expected to complete in 2026. Image courtesy of First Solar, Inc.

First Solar Inc. is expanding its solar module manufacturing capacity with its latest development in Iberia Parish, La. The company is expecting to complete the facility in the first half of 2026, investing $1.1 billion into the project.

The state of Louisiana offered First Solar a competitive incentives package. Mark Widmar, CEO at First Solar, said in prepared remarks that the state also has extensive workforce development initiatives. The project can pursue additional incentives including performance-based grants for site development and infrastructure improvements totaling $30 million.

Iberia Parish and the Iberia Economic Development Authority are supporting the project by funding site improvements including water and wastewater infrastructure development.

For First Solar, the facility within Acadiana Regional Airport will grow its manufacturing capacity by 3.5 gigawatts, bringing the company to approximately 14 gigawatts of capacity produced in the U.S. in 2026.

First Solar will primarily be using the facility to produce high-performance photovoltaic solar modules, specifically the company’s Series 7 tellurium-based modules. The facility is also expected to create more than 700 direct manufacturing jobs in the state.

Major expansion plans underway

The Iberia Parish facility will be First Solar’s fifth fully vertically integrated manufacturing facility in the U.S. Earlier this year, the company built its third facility in Ohio and is working on its fourth American manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, Ala., expected to complete in 2024.

Outside its manufacturing facilities, First Solar is also investing up to $370 million into a dedicated R&D innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio, expected to complete next year.

First Solar’s recent facilities are part of the company’s $4.1 billion manufacturing expansion strategy that started in 2020 to grow its capacity from 6 gigawatts to its current 13 gigawatts capacity. First Solar has plans to grow an additional 12 gigawatts of capacity with facilities in the U.S. and India that are expected to come online between the second half of 2023 and 2026.

Beyond its expansion plans, First Solar previously partnered with Microsoft to build a 150-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant in 2019.