Hanwha Qcells, a unit of Hanhwa Group, said it will close its 3.5 GW panel manufacturing facility in Eumseong, South Korea.

“This decision has been taken as a result of Qcells’ efforts to optimize module production capabilities, and in response to a stagnant domestic solar market in Korea,”. “The total volume of solar installations in Korea has been decreasing over the past three years, from 4.7 GW in 2020, to 3.4 GW in 2022, and a further decline is expected in 2023.”

The company said it will continue to invest in its flagship manufacturing facility in Jincheon, South Korea, where it still produces TOPCon products and operates a perovskite tandem pilot line.

“The shutdown of Eumseong will have a minimal impact on Qcells’ global module supply capabilities,” the spokesperson said. “The company’s manufacturing capacity has expanded a great deal, and current module production capability is large enough to cover our global markets.”

Hanwha Qcells said it offered voluntary redundancy packages to its employees.

“The company has not set a target number on this,” the spokesperson said. “Those staff that wish to remain in Qcells’ employ will be absorbed into the Jincheon operation, where the additional manpower will boost TOPCon and Tandem line operations.”