First Solar committed to protect local environment

Chairman of American solar power producer First Solar, Bruce Sohn told Tuoi Tre First Solar’s plant in Vietnam would use the same standards in environmental protection as its plants in elsewhere.

Talking to Tuoi Tre newspaper on the sideline of the ground breaking ceremony of First Solar’s thin-film solar panel plant in Cu Chi District on March 22, Sohn said his company was committed to protecting local environment whether it was in the US, Germany, Malaysia or Vietnam.

Sohn assured Tuoi Tre First Solar doesn’t discharge harmful substances into the environment, follows faithfully strict requirements about waste water processing, sets aside a special fund for recycling, and offers 25 to 30 years of warranty for its products.

Sohn also said the Cu Chi-based plant, which would cost US$300 million in the first phrase, making it Vietnam’s biggest renewable power project, wouldn’t import outdated products elsewhere to recycle but would focus on producing new products, at least in the first few years.

A First Solar plant only recycles products that have been produced at the plant itself for the local market where the plant is located, Sohn added. So considering a warranty of up to 30 years, the Cu Chi Plant wouldn’t recycle anything anytime soon.

According to Sohn, First Solar is also working with Vietnamese partners to explore whether they can provide raw materials for the plant in the future. Sohn said it might take First Solar 2 or 3 years to be able to acquire a good supply of raw materials from local companies.

In Germany and Malaysia, local producers now provide as much as 40 percent of input for First Solar plants.

Sohn said the Cu Chi plant, which would receive a total investment of US$1 billion and increase its first-phrase capacity of 250MW four times, was one of the four plants aimed to double First Solar’s capacity worldwide to 2.9GW in 2012.

The Cu Chi plant would target European and American markets but Sohn said the Asian demands for solar power was also fast increasing. First Solar chose Vietnam because of favorable government policies, high quality human resources and lower costs. – Tuoitre

Tags: First Solar Vietnam