A fire at REC’s solar cell and panel factory in Singapore this June has set back the company’s delivery timelines, according to a letter sent to U.S. customers this week and shared with Solar Power World. Production has resumed, and REC has committed to fulfilling all contracted orders before fulfilling safe harbor sales.
The REC factory in Singapore.
A small fire forced REC to take its cell lines offline for repair, inspection and maintenance at its 1.2-GW annual capacity factory in Tuas, Singapore. New equipment was installed and the line was recommissioned within weeks. Production of high-efficiency HJT solar panels resumed a few weeks ago, and REC is continuing to optimize the line. The company felt comfortable this week to send its U.S. customers updated order confirmations.
“These new order confirmations represent the difficult reality of almost one month of unscheduled production downtime and a re-ramp plan that has the production lines slightly underutilized for a period of weeks,” said Cary Hayes, president of REC Americas, in a customer letter. “In the face of unprecedented demand for REC products due to the year-end rush, this couldn’t have come at a worse time for you. For this I am deeply sorry.”
Cell lines at REC’s Singapore factory.
REC said the rest of its 2025 production will be prioritized for U.S. customers. Although selling on a global scale, the large majority of REC’s sales are to the U.S. market.
While ensuring current U.S. orders are fulfilled, REC will not be taking safe harboring sales to help U.S. developers meet accelerated phase-outs of the investment tax credit (ITC). With the entire market seemingly paused on safe harboring while the solar industry awaits guidance from the Treasury Dept. on timelines, this should not be a huge concern for the rest of the year.
Company reps told Solar Power World that REC’s lack of Chinese ties, and therefore limited foreign entity of concern (FEOC) associations, mean that the company’s solar panels will be attractive in 2026, once final rules are revealed.