JinkoSolar's Saudi plant set to go live in 2026

An employee works on the solar panel production line of JinkoSolar in Hefei, Anhui province. JinkoSolar, the world's largest solar panel producer by shipments, said its planned factory in Saudi Arabia, which will be the world's biggest manufacturing plant for N-type solar cells and modules, is expected to become operational in early 2026 and help produce solar cells with record efficiency. The company announced plans to build the largest overseas manufacturing plant for N-type solar cells and modules in July, partnering with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. With an investment of around $1 billion, the facility, JinkoSolar's most significant overseas investment to date, is expected to have an annual production capacity of 10 gigawatts for high-efficiency solar cells and modules once operational, and will be the largest manufacturing base for Chinese photovoltaic products abroad, the company said. "These gigawatt-scale announcements have the potential to significantly boost domestic solar manufacturing in Saudi Arabia, allowing the country to harness the Middle East's exceptional solar energy potential of over 2,000 kilowatt-hours per square meter annually in solar irradiation," he said.