US cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film module manufacturer First Solar has signed a framework agreement with solar developer Energix Renewables to supply 5GW of modules.

The modules will be delivered to power the Israel-headquartered developer’s 7GW portfolio of projects under development in Israel, Poland and the US, while First Solar will process the end-of-life modules from Energix projects.

Modules will be delivered between 2026 and 2030 as the module manufacturer previously sold all its US capacity through 2026 earlier in the year and reached a module backlog of 70GW.

This supply agreement builds on previous orders made from the solar developer towards the CdTe thin-film module manufacturer with over 3.5GW of orders placed since 2017.

Both companies recently secured financial support for their US activities, with Energix securing US$520 million of financing for six utility-scale solar projects in Virginia and Pennsylvania which will have a combined capacity of 416MW, while the module manufacturer secured a five-year revolving credit guarantee facility for US$1 billion that will be geared towards further growth for the company which is expanding its US annual manufacturing capacity from 6.5GW currently to nearly 10.9GW by 2026.

Asa Levinger, CEO at Energix, said: “This deal, our largest ever, strongly reflects the long-term strategic partnership we share with First Solar. It also constitutes a significant milestone for Energix’s long-term growth, as we rapidly expand our global pipeline, with an emphasis on the United States.”

（Picture: Veer）