Heliene expands new Mountain Iron facility
With the help of two big-name senators, North American solar module manufacturer Heliene celebrated the expansion of its facility in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, which now boasts more than 500 MW of total annual capacity.
Heliene invested $21 million to expand the Mountain Iron campus to 95,000 sq. ft. The project increased the facility's total annual capacity from 150 MW to 570 MW and created 60 new jobs.
Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith of Minnesota attended a ribbon-cutting celebration at the facility on Oct. 27.
"This project is about building an American supply chain for the solar panels that will power our transition to energy independence and a clean energy future," Smith said.
Heliene's new production line will focus on M6, M10, and M12-size super high-efficiency monocrystalline PERC cells.
Heliene's solar module manufacturing facility in Mountain Iron, Minnesota.
The company began production in Mountain Iron in 2018. Heliene president Martin Pochtaruk announced plans this week to invest another $7 million over the next year to upgrade equipment at the original 150 MW facility, which will see its capacity increase to 300 MW.