Solar module maker JA Solar has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the Ordos Municipal government in China’s inner Mongolia region to build a low-carbon industrial park for the photovoltaic (PV) industry cluster.

The company plans to invest ¥40 billion (~$5.9 billion) for the cluster. The PV industry cluster, once complete, will have facilities to produce 10,000 tons of silicon, 20 GW each of ingots and wafers, 30 GW of photovoltaic cells, and 10 GW of solar modules.

The company said signing the agreement with the city municipal government aligns with JA Solar’s strategic future production capacity planning.

The solar module manufacturer said they would use the local resources while taking advantage of the policies in place to expand the company’s production capacity, broaden its presence in the photovoltaic industry and enhance its core competitiveness.

JA Solar also said it would build a technology research and development center and a facility for smart manufacturing.

The company expects this will improve its technical capabilities and build a demonstration base for the regional photovoltaic industry.

Ordos Municipal government will be responsible for all the relevant environmental impact and other safety assessments, land use, and approvals for setting up the facilities. The municipal government will also implement the project under the “One Enterprise, One Policy” program to expedite the commencement of the project.

JA Solar recently signed a deal with Samsung C&T, a South Korea-based construction and engineering company, to supply photovoltaic modules for the largest solar project in Qatar. It is likely to be operational in 2024. Under the agreement, JA Solar will supply over 1.6 million DeepBlue 3.0 modules to the project.

The company was one of the leading module suppliers to the Indian solar market in the first half of the calendar year 2022, according to Mercom’s recently released India Solar Market Leaderboard 1H 2022.