Norwegian monocrystalline solar wafer producer NorSun AS signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with Clayco for its $620-million silicon ingot and solar wafer manufacturing plant in Tulsa, Okla., the companies said.
NorSun announced in June it plans to build a 5-GW plant at the site, a 60-acre greenfield location at the Mingo Development Area near Tulsa International Airport. There is room at the site to potentially expand the plant capacity to 10 GW in the future.
Construction is set to start next year for production to begin in 2026, according to NorSun.
The plant would be among the first facilities in the U.S. producing its components, according to the Oklahoma Dept. of Commerce, which helped facilitate the development. The project “marks a major step in rebuilding the U.S. solar value chain,” said Anthony Johnson, president of Clayco’s industrial business unit, in a statement.
Speaking to the selection of Clayco—which ranks No. 23 on the ENR 2024 Top 400 Contractors list and No. 12 in industrial sector work—NorSun executives said they sought a contractor with experience, reference work and capacity for complex industrial facilities.
The contractor's "focus on collaboration and experience in delivering large-scale projects of this nature has given us great trust in their ability to deliver on budget, schedule and quality while executing the work with the highest safety and environmental standards,” said Harald Bakke, project director at NorSun, in a statement.
