BP Solar starts construction of 300MW solar cell plant in Spain

BP Solar has started construction of a 300MW solar
cell plant in Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain. Phase 1 of the new plant will
have an annual cell capacity of 55MW with a total planned capacity of
300MW. The first line expected to be fully operational in 3Q07. 
Construction has also begun on lines two and three.
In addition to the new manufacturing lines, the Tres Cantos site will
be remodeled to include a new PV systems prototype area, a visitor
training centre and product testing and development facilities.

“The
new cell technologies we are using, our intellectual property in
casting with Mono2 and the contracts we have signed to secure
preferential access to metallurgical grade silicon are all important
steps towards our goal of offering customers PV-generated electricity
on a par with the cost of conventional grid-supplied electricity,” said
Lee Edwards, BP Solar’s CEO.

The fully automated facility will
use screen printing technology, much of it proprietary to BP Solar.
Since the site was acquired by BP Solar in 2002, a tri-generation power
plant has been built providing heat and power to the site.