The Carbon company plans to install a photovoltaic panel gigafactory at the port of Marseille-Fos by 2025. This plant, the largest in Europe, will be capable of producing up to 5 GW of solar electricity and will create more than 3,000 direct jobs.
A French response to dependence on China
The Lyon-based start-up Carbon, founded in March 2022, aims to produce on a large scale the components needed to manufacture solar panels, such as silicon wafers and photovoltaic cells, as well as the photovoltaic modules themselves. By importing polysilicon from Europe rather than China, Carbon hopes to offer an alternative to the European industry’s dependence on Chinese players.
A large-scale production
The future Carbon plant will be located on a 60-hectare site, the exact location of which has not yet been determined. It will produce 5 GW of photovoltaic cells and 3.5 GW of photovoltaic modules annually, with an investment budget of 1.5 billion euros.
A response to the growing demand for solar energy in Europe
The solar market is booming in Europe, and according to Carbon’s president, it will be “one of the essential building blocks of the world’s energy future. With this plant, Carbon hopes to meet the growing demand for solar energy in Europe and offer an alternative to China’s market dominance.
Christophe Castaner, chairman of the supervisory board of the port of Marseille-Fos, sees this plant as a “tool for regaining national and European sovereignty”. He also emphasizes that this fully electric plant is part of a global policy of decarbonization led by the Port of Marseille-Fos.
A strategic choice for the Port of Marseille-Fos
The port of Marseille-Fos was chosen to host this plant because of its maritime, river, rail and road connections, as well as its attractive employment area with a large training offer. With 30,000 containers of flows generated by the future plant each year, the port of Marseille-Fos will benefit from significant activity and job prospects.
