EIT InnoEnergy-backed solar module maker plans 5-GW factory in France

Holosolis, partly owned by EU sustainable energy investor EIT InnoEnergy, on Tuesday unveiled plans to build what it says will be the largest solar module factory in Europe.

Planned to be installed in northern France, the production facility will be capable of manufacturing 10 million photovoltaic (PV) modules a year, corresponding to an annual capacity of 5 GW. With initial production set to be launched in 2025, the plant will reach full capacity in 2027.

The factory in the department of Moselle, Lorraine region, will exceed the production capacity of Europe’s current largest module plant by almost 70%. Around 1,700 people will work there.

The new site’s output will be supplied for residential roofing, industrial and commercial roofing, and agrivoltaic projects.

Apart from EIT InnoEnergy, Holosolis’ owners include French real estate major IDEC Group and local solar power producer TSE. The unit’s gigafactory project supports the European Union’s goal of boosting domestic solar manufacturing in line with the REPowerEU objective to commissione 600 GW of solar by the end of the decade.

"We will manufacture the most energy efficient modules, incorporating the latest photovoltaic technologies, with the lowest carbon footprint and highest social standards,” said Jan Jacob Boom-Wichers, CEO of Holosolis.

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