March 20 (Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA) is looking to buy equipment worth $2.9 billion for manufacturing solar panels and cells from Chinese suppliers including Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, two people familiar with the matter said, as CEO Elon Musk aims to add 100 gigawatts of solar capacity in the United States.
Musk said in January that solar power could meet all of the electricity needs of the United States – including the ever-increasing demand from a growing number of data centres. Job postings on the Tesla website said it aims to deploy 100 GW of “solar manufacturing from raw materials on American soil before the end of 2028”.
Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, the world’s biggest producer of screen-printing equipment used to make solar cells, is among the leading candidates to supply machinery for the project and has been seeking export approval from China’s commerce ministry, according to the two people and a third person. The sources declined to be named because the information is not public.
Other potential suppliers include Shenzhen S.C New Energy Technology and Laplace Renewable Energy Technology, the first two people said.
Some of the estimated 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) worth of equipment, including screen-printing production lines, will require export approval from Chinese regulators, according to the people. It wasn’t immediately clear how much of the equipment would require approval or how long it would take.
The Chinese companies were told to deliver the equipment before this autumn, the three people said, with two saying it would be shipped to Texas. Musk plans to build the solar capacity mainly for use by Tesla, although some will be used to power SpaceX satellites, the people said.
The potential order highlights one issue for the United States as it looks to reduce its dependence on China – reviving U.S. manufacturing still requires some degree of trade with the world’s second-largest economy.
Chinese media reported last month that Tesla has visited several solar companies in China. The details of the companies in advanced talks, the estimated size of potential purchases, the delivery timeline, and regulatory requirements are reported here for the first time.
Shares in Suzhou Maxwell, S.C New Energy and Laplace Renewable jumped more than 7% after the Reuters story.
Tesla, China’s commerce ministry, Suzhou Maxwell, Shenzhen S.C New Energy and Laplace Renewable Energy did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
An order from Tesla would mark a big boost for Chinese producers of solar manufacturing equipment, which have struggled with weak demand because of a domestic production glut.
