AE Solar plans solar panel factory in Romania

German company AE Solar plans to open a EUR 1 billion factory in Romania that would manufacture solar panels.

AE Solar earlier revealed its plans to install production facilities for photovoltaic panels in Turkey, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia.

The potential investment in Romania was announced at the meeting of Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă with representatives of AE Solar and the Black Sea Universities Network.

The plan is to operationalize the first phase this year

In the initial phase, the facility will have a capacity of 2 GW, and upon completion it will reach 10 GW, the government said in a press release.

AE Solar’s representatives said the first phase would be operationalized this year.

The government added it would consider the possibility to support the investment with European funds or the state budget.

The government vowed to support the investment

Experts from the Black Sea Universities Network will participate in the analysis, according to the statement. Discussions are underway on its potential cooperation with AE Solar by establishing a science park connected to the production facility, the government pointed out.

Prime Minister Ciucă said the investment would make Romania a European solar panel manufacturing hotspot. It will also contribute to energy independence and environmental protection by using renewables for electricity production, in his view.

With the project, the government is not only working on achieving the goals set at the European level, but also responding to the needs of citizens and private companies to get access to cheap and environmentally friendly energy, Ciucă said.

AE Solar was launched in 2003 in Königsbrunn. The company operates in more than 95 countries. It has factories in Europe and Asia.