Meyer Burger to close photovoltaic factory in Germany to focus on the USA

The group is taking "a first step" to close this factory, located in Freiberg, by April, by stopping production in "the first half of March", he said in a press release.

In January, the group blamed the lack of public support and distortions in the solar panel market in Europe in the face of the influx of Chinese products. He had initiated discussions with the German Ministry of the Economy concerning the fate of this factory inaugurated barely three years ago and where more than 500 jobs are threatened.

"Since there has not yet been a decision on support measures to address the current market distortions created by excess supply and dumping in solar modules, the group has decided to begin preparations for the closure of its site in Freiberg, which would take effect in April,” it said in a press release.

Since access to the American market has been closed to them, Chinese solar panels have been flooding Europe, causing prices to collapse.

Faced with this pressure, the group intends to focus on the United States, which it considers much more attractive.

Photovoltaic production there has been considerably subsidized since the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which attracts numerous investments. This subsidy program pushes many European companies in different industrial sectors to set up factories in the United States or increase their production capacities there.

Meyer Burger has summoned its shareholders for an extraordinary general meeting to be held on March 18 to vote on its financing plan for its factories under construction in the United States, in Colorado Springs in the state of Colorado and in Goodyear. in Arizona.