TSEC Corp (元晶太陽能), the nation’s biggest manufacturer of solar cells, was yesterday granted approval by the Ministry of Economic Affairs to invest NT$700 million (US$24.53 million) to build a new production line in Hsinchu’s Hukou Township (湖口).
TSEC’s capacity expansion came as demand for renewable energy has increased significantly after overseas Taiwanese manufacturers allocated more production back home due to the US-China trade dispute.
As TSEC’s factories are approaching full utilization, it is investing in introducing new automated systems for its manufacturing lines to make large-scale solar cells and high-efficiency solar modules as demand from home and overseas markets has exceeded supply, the company said.
Photo: Chang Huei-wen, Taipei Times
TSEC said that the new investment matched the industry’s migration to 10-inch or 12-inch solar wafer cells from 6-inch, or 8-inch wafers.
The projected facility would be the first step to convert all its production lines to be capable of making the larger wafer cells within the coming three years, the company said.
Under the three-year plan, TSEC would produce solar cells with a capacity of 1 gigawatt and create about 1,000 new jobs, the company said.
The ministry also approved two investment projects by Convertek Technology Co (崧虹科技) and Goang Hann Enterprise Co (廣翰實業).
Convertek plans to invest NT$1.5 billion to build a smart factory in Taoyuan’s Bade District (八德) to manufacture hot-food paper containers and other products using surface mount technology. The company plans to create 83 new jobs.
Aluminum supplier Goang Hann plans to spend NT$60 million to upgrade its facilities with smart manufacturing equipment. The company supplies Swedish furniture maker IKEA AS and LCD panel maker Innolux Corp (群創), among others.
The ministry said that applications from 39 companies to join a program to stimulate local investment are pending.
The program has thus far attracted 760 companies with investments totalling NT$1.16 trillion since its launch last year.
The investments would create 97,960 new jobs, the ministry said.
Separately, the ministry yesterday said that 7 more small and medium-sized companies have obtained approvals to invest NT$2.8 billion in Taiwan.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
RSS