Tesla in talks with Chinese firms to buy $2.9 bln worth of solar equipment

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.

Tesla 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.

Mr. 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. Mr. Musk plans to build the solar capacity mainly for use by Tesla, although some will be used to power SpaceX satellites, the ​people said.