Meyer Burger: Relocating Solar Production from Germany to the USA with Government Subsidies and Financing Support

Meyer Burger, a Swiss solar module manufacturer, has made significant progress in relocating its production from Germany to the USA. The company has started manufacturing solar modules at the Goodyear site in Arizona in the current second quarter, but financing for the relocation has not yet been secured.

In order to fulfill a new agreement with a customer in the USA, Meyer Burger must begin producing solar cells in the USA. The company’s solar cells are currently produced in Thalheim, Germany, while module production ceased in Freiberg in mid-March. Cell production in the USA is scheduled to start in Colorado Springs at the end of 2024, which may lead to the closure of the Thalheim site.

The completion of the factory in Arizona was announced just before the general meeting voted to combine 750 old Meyer Burger shares into a new security. This reorganization was aimed at making the shares more attractive to investors after a long decline in the company’s stock value. Despite this, a new customer in the USA committed to purchasing modules with an annual output of 600 megawatts, bringing the total foreseeable orders to 1.73 gigawatts per year.

Meyer Burger is focusing on benefiting from government subsidies in the USA, as President Joe Biden has introduced programs encouraging the purchase of domestically produced solar modules. The company hopes to take advantage of these subsidies while facing tough competition from cheap Chinese imports in Europe. The company is working on closing a financing gap of around 450 million francs to support its production in the USA.

With progress on securing external financing and government support, Meyer Burger’s future is secure for the next 18 months. The company plans to achieve a production capacity of 2 gigawatts for solar cells and modules in