China-headquartered solar photovoltaics (PV) company Trina Solar has announced plans to invest over $200 million to build a solar module manufacturing facility in Wilmer, Texas.

The facility, spanning over 1 million square feet, will manufacture 5 GW of solar modules and secure its supply of polysilicon from both the United States and Europe.

Expected to commence production in 2024, the Wilmer facility will produce large power output Vertex modules and use 210 mm large-size wafers.

“We have long had a vision to manufacture solar products in the United States, and we are proud of the jobs we are creating and the investment we are making in the Wilmer community,” said Steven Zhu, President of Trina Solar U.S. “Trina’s goal in building this facility is to begin to create an ecosystem of American manufacturing that can serve the burgeoning U.S. solar market. This factory sets the stage for Trina to continuously expand business in the U.S. and show our customers that we are committed to providing best-in-class products.”

The company said that last year, it partnered with the affordable housing nonprofit Foundation Communities and Spear Commercial & Industrial to build a solar project in a low-income housing project in Austin, Texas.

The company recently started the production of 210mm monocrystalline silicon wafers in the city of Thai Nguyen in Vietnam. The factory will be able to produce 6.5 GW of wafers, 4GW of solar cells, and 5GW of solar modules annually.

Trina Solar’s module shipments for the first half of 2023 totaled 27 GW and accumulated module shipments exceeding 150 GW, with shipments of 210 mm modules surpassing 75 GW, the company had said in a statement.

Trina Solar was among the top solar module suppliers in the calendar year 2022, according to Mercom’s India Solar Market Leaderboard 2023.