First Solar has inaugurated a fully vertically integrated manufacturing plant in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, following an investment of $1.1 billion. The facility spans roughly 2.4 million square feet and began production in July 2025. The plant incorporates AI-enabled production systems, including computer vision and deep learning for defect detection, along with AI-based operational tools for technicians.
The project’s early commissioning was driven by recent federal policy developments that strengthened demand for domestically manufactured solar equipment meeting the Foreign Entities of Concern requirements. The facility operates without reliance on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains and manufactures Series 7 modules using materials sourced from multiple US states, including glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel processed in Mississippi and Louisiana. An economic impact assessment by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and commissioned by the Iberia Economic Development Authority indicates that the facility is expected to raise Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4 per cent in its first full year at capacity. Manufacturing roles at the facility have an average annual compensation of $90,000.
The plant currently employs more than 700 people, with staffing expected to reach 826 by the end of 2025. Once fully operational, it will add 3.5 GW of annual module capacity, increasing the company’s total manufacturing capacity in US to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its South Carolina facility becomes fully operational. Furthermore, it forms a part of the company’s broader manufacturing and research portfolio in the Western Hemisphere, which includes integrated facilities in Ohio and Alabama and R&D centres in Ohio and California.