Enel 3GW Solar Panel and Battery Factory Located in Oklahoma

The US production site will come on stream at 3 GW, with plans to double capacity to 6 GW.

Enel North America announced that it has chosen Oklahoma as the site for its new solar cell and manufacturing facility. The facility was first announced in November 2022 and will be operated by its affiliate, 3Sun USA.

The main battery and panel plant is expected to have an initial capacity of 3 GW, with Enel saying it plans to double that to 6 GW. The plant is expected to bring millions of dollars of investment to the state and create more than 1,500 jobs, with production expected to begin by the end of 2024.

"We are close to completing an assessment of potential sites for the plant, and factors such as land availability, skilled Labour stock, connectivity to transport networks and tax and incentive structures are taken into account when making location decisions," an Enel spokesperson told PV.

The United States has become increasingly attractive to solar panel makers because the $370 billion Inflation Reduction Act contains a raft of manufacturing incentives, including tax breaks for solar cell and panel manufacturing.

Enel currently has a $3 billion wind power portfolio in the state and an office in Oklahoma City. "We are very much looking forward to the possibility of expanding our presence in the state," Enel said.

The facility will join Qcells' 3.3GW vertically integrated solar manufacturing base in Georgia, making it the largest solar manufacturing announcement in the United States to date.

"[Oklahoma] is on the verge of one of the largest economic development deals in our state's history with Enel, which has invested in our state for more than a decade," Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said.

Enel says it is considering building a new plant in the Tulsa area.