HUMBLE, Texas — Japanese solar manufacturer TOYO Co. cut the ribbon Oct. 6 on an expanded module factory here, completing a build-out to 2 gigawatts of annual nameplate capacity, the company said.
Key facts
- TOYO Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: TOYO) held a ribbon-cutting Oct. 6, 2026, at its Humble, Texas, solar module facility, marking completion of an expansion to 2 GW of module nameplate capacity. — TOYO Co., Ltd.
- The Humble facility first became operational in October 2025. — pv magazine USA
- TOYO plans a $357 million expansion adding a 1.5 GW heterojunction solar cell line at the Texas site, a plan first announced in June 2026 and now targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2028; pv magazine USA reported it would add 400 workers on top of existing module-line staff. — TOYO Co., Ltd.; pv magazine USA; PV Tech
- U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey I. Kessler attended the ceremony and called the investment "the direct result of the Trump Administration's bold policies to bring manufacturing and jobs back to America." — TOYO Co., Ltd.
- Intertek CEA gave the factory its highest audit grade, senior vice president Paul Wormser said: "we have never found perfection, but Toyo has gotten our highest grade." — TOYO Co., Ltd.
- The Commerce Department opened a circumvention inquiry in July 2026 into whether cells made in Ethiopia with Chinese silicon wafers evade tariffs on Chinese solar products; TOYO makes cells at a 4 GW plant in Hawassa, Ethiopia, and says its cells use wafers produced in Indonesia from mostly U.S. polysilicon. — pv magazine USA
Washington's pitch
Under Secretary Kessler said the move was the direct result of Trump administration policies to bring manufacturing and jobs back to America, according to the release. He pointed to the company's hundreds of millions in investment and its commitment to exclusively American polysilicon.
Rep. Christian D. Menefee, who represents Houston's 18th Congressional District, said onshoring was of the utmost importance and that he was proud the investment landed in his district, the release said.
Japan's Consul General in Houston, Takeshi Koyama, said the investment was creating skilled manufacturing jobs for Texas families, a sign of strength in the Japan-U.S. economic partnership, according to the release.
What's next
TOYO's next step is the $357 million heterojunction cell line, which would move solar cell manufacturing onto U.S. soil. The company first announced the plan in June 2026, PV Tech reported, and now targets completion in the first quarter of 2028. pv magazine USA reported the expansion would add 400 workers on top of existing module-line staff.
The plans are taking shape during a Commerce Department inquiry, opened in July 2026, into whether solar cells made in Ethiopia with Chinese wafers circumvent U.S. tariffs on Chinese solar products. TOYO makes cells at a 4 GW plant in Hawassa, Ethiopia, pv magazine USA reported, and says its cells use wafers produced in Indonesia from mostly U.S. polysilicon. The company is seeking guidance from Commerce on whether it could face penalties.
Intertek CEA, which audits solar factories, gave the Texas facility its highest audit grade. "We have never found perfection, but Toyo has gotten our highest grade," senior vice president Paul Wormser said, according to the release. The next markers are the Q1 2028 completion target for the cell line and Commerce's guidance on the circumvention inquiry.
Photo credit
- Hero: Leadership and partners cut the ribbon at TOYO's expanded 2 GW solar module plant in Humble, Texas, on Oct. 6, 2026. Photo: TOYO Co. / PR Newswire — Courtesy of TOYO Co. (company handout via PR Newswire, editorial use)
- Inline 1: File photo: solar panels in close-up. Photo: Jollyroger / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 2.5
- Inline 2: File photo: polycrystalline silicon material used to make solar cells. Photo: Georg Slickers, Warut Roonguthai, NITOL / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0