A solar manufacturer outside Houston wants to make more of the components that go into American solar panels in one place, rather than depend on a supply chain stretching across several countries.
SEG Solar has secured land for a planned $950 million solar-cell manufacturing facility at its Tomball Industrial Campus northwest of Houston. The proposed plant would have 4 gigawatts of annual production capacity and, if completed as planned, create more than 700 local jobs.
It is an ambitious proposal, not yet a finished factory or a guaranteed investment. The company announced the land agreement Oct. 29 and set targets for two construction and production phases, each accounting for 2 gigawatts of capacity. The first phase is targeted for 2028 and the second for 2029.
Why the location matters
Tomball is already home to SEG’s 4-gigawatt module manufacturing facility, where solar modules are assembled. Another 4.6-gigawatt module operation is under construction at the same campus. The proposed cell plant would fill a gap in that production chain by making the electricity-generating cells that manufacturers place inside finished panels…