SEG Solar Plans $950 Million Solar Cell Plant in Tomball

Solar manufacturer SEG Solar plans to invest $950 million in a 4-gigawatt (GW) heterojunction (HJT) solar cell facility at its Tomball Industrial Campus near Houston, a project expected to create more than 700 local jobs.

The company announced on October 29 that it signed a land agreement for the planned facility. Production is targeted to begin in two phases: an initial 2-GW phase in 2028, followed by a second 2-GW phase in 2029.

The plant would be located next to SEG's existing 4-GW Tomball No. 1 solar module facility and its 4.6-GW Tomball No. 2 facility, which is under construction. The expansion would bring solar cell, module, and key component manufacturing together at one campus.

The Tomball campus also includes warehousing, a research and development center, and a certified testing laboratory. SEG has planned additional production lines for ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and junction boxes, components used in solar module manufacturing.

SEG said the facility would make its Tomball campus one of the few U.S. manufacturing locations producing HJT cells, modules, and key components at a single site.

The company said its Texas-made modules, using domestically produced HJT cells, would help solar developers and asset owners meet domestic-content requirements while providing a more integrated U.S. supply chain.

"Bringing HJT cell manufacturing to the U.S. will give customers a more domestic supply chain with clearer sourcing and a single company standing behind the product," SEG CEO Jim Wood said. "American-made cells, American-made modules, one company accountable."

The project remains in the planning stage, with production targeted for 2028 and 2029. SEG did not disclose a detailed construction schedule or identify public funding for the investment.