SAN DIEGO - (Business Wire) SANYO North America Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary and the North American regional headquarters of SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO), announces SANYO
’s decision to construct a new plant for the manufacture of silicon ingot and solar wafers in the Salem Renewable Energy and Technology Park, having received approval from the city council in the City of Salem, Oregon. The plant is planned to begin operations in October 2009, and be at full operation by April 2010 with a production capacity of approximately 70 MW, bringing the total ingot and wafer production capacity in America to approximately 100 MW.
SANYO is augmenting its facilities with the necessary equipment and construction of new facilities for future growth in response to market demand, moving forward to reach goals set for an annual global production capacity of at least 600 MW by FY 2010. To increase ingot and wafer production, a fundamental part of the solar cell, the second plant in the US will be constructed and organized by a new company, SANYO Solar of Oregon LLC.
SANYO first started researching and developing amorphous solar cells in 1975 and was the world’s first to commercialize amorphous-type solar cell production in 1980. In 1997, SANYO started mass production and sales of its world-leading conversion efficiency HIT solar cells. SANYO currently manufactures the silicon ingot and wafers in the US, the solar cells in Japan, with module assembly plants located in Mexico, Hungary and Japan.
Outline of new factory in Oregon
| Company Name: | | | SANYO Solar of Oregon LLC |
| Location: | | | Salem Renewable Energy and Technology Park, Oregon |
| Representative: | | | Yasuyoshi Kawanishi |
| Size: | | | 861,113 ft2 |
| Investment amount: | | | Approx. $80 million |
| Production capacity: | | | Approx. 70 MW (When at full annual capacity) |
| Production start: | | | October 2009 |
| No. of Employees: | | | Approx. 200 (FY2010) |
Solar Production Capacity of SANYO Facilities
| | | | | FY2007 | | End of FY2008 (estimated) |
| Cell | | | SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. Nishikinohama Factory, Japan | | 210MW | | 210MW |
| | Shimane SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. Shimane, Japan | | 50MW | | 130MW |
| | | | Total | | 260MW | | 340MW |
| Module | | | SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. Tokyo Plant, Japan | | 60MW | | 60MW |
| | SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. Nishikinohama Factory, Japan | | 35MW | | 35MW |
| | SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. Shiga Plant, Japan | | - | | 40MW |
| | SANYO Hungary Kft. Dorog, Hungary | | 145MW | | Expansion Considered |
| | SANYO Energy (USA) Corporation Monterrey Factory, Mexico | | 20MW | | Expansion Considered |
| | | | Total | | 260MW | | Approx. 340MW |
About SANYO
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. was incorporated in 1950. The name SANYO in Japanese means “three oceans”: the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, and symbolizes the Company’s global perspective. SANYO aims at becoming a leading provider of Environment- and Energy-related products, providing product solutions for the Environment, Energy and Lifestyle with consolidated sales of US$ 20,178 million for Fiscal Year 2007. SANYO's businesses cover a broad range of products and services such as photovoltaic (solar) systems, rechargeable batteries, HVAC/R equipment, digital imaging devices, home appliances, electronic components and others. Based on its brand vision “Think GAIA,” SANYO is committed to providing cutting-edge solutions for a sustainable world by weaving together its numerous proprietary technologies. For further information, please visit http://www.sanyo.com.
BERKMAN for SANYO North America Corporation
Courtney Berg
+1-619-231-9977 (office)
+1-305-773-6592 (mobile)
courtney@berkmanpr.com
or
SANYO North America Corporation
Corporate Communications
Akihiko Oiwa, +1-619-661-1134 (office)
