Nextracker Opens Manufacturing Plant with JM Steel in Texas

Nextracker & JM Steel announced a dedicated solar tracker production line on the campus of the new Steel Dynamics Inc facility near Corpus Christi in Teas in US to manufacture low-carbon tracker components for solar power plants throughout the southern United States. As customers want protection from steel and logistics cost volatility and logistics delays associated with shipping, containers and ports, Nextracker is migrating production to stabilize pricing and achieve superior on-time delivery. Moreover, US steel manufacturers like Steel Dynamics Incorporated have a much cleaner, lower carbon production processes than most overseas manufacturers.

Once fully operational, the new Nextracker production line will provide multi-GW of solar tracker capacity annually. The 97,000 square-foot JM Steel Sinton facility opened in October 2021 and represents a USD 40 million investment. Ideally situated, the Nextracker production line provides the ability to service major markets by truck, while providing easy access to three Class 1 railroads UP, BNSF, & KCS and a deep-water port on the inland waterway system.

Solar trackers have become the best way to build utility-scale solar power plants globally typically increasing energy production by 20-30% more than fixed-tilt applications that do not track the sun. Partnering with JM Steel, Nextracker will have a dedicated supply of critical materials within one of the fastest growing and biggest solar markets: Texas and the Southern US. Last year, Texas overtook California as the top-ranked state for solar capacity additions adding 6.6 gigawatts of solar with an additional 23 GW expected by 2023.

A dependable steel supply is central to utility-scale solar, which is now the lowest cost form of energy in many locations. In response to global supply disruptions, Nextracker made the strategic decision to focus on manufacturing in the United States. IHS Markit Insight report recently found that, steel procurement and manufacturing location will be a key concern for tracker suppliers as they contend with growing local content requirements among global markets and volatile shipping freight costs.

Nextracker’s smart solar tracker solutions for PV projects of all sizes transform plant performance with advanced data monitoring and analysis software and services. Solar industry veteran Dan Shugar and his team founded Nextracker because no solar trackers met their requirements. So they redesigned, engineered and built an innovative system from the ground up. Nextracker has been the number-one global market-share solar tracker company for five years having delivered close to 50 GW of smart solar trackers for projects on five continents

Nextracker Opens Manufacturing Plant with JM Steel in Texas

Strategic Research Institute

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