French start-up Holosolis, founded by innovation group EIT InnoEnergy, has announced plans to build a 5GW solar module factory in France.

Other partners in the project include IDEC Group, a real estate company specializing in the rooftop market, and TSE, a French solar developer specializing in agricultural photovoltaics.

According to the plan, it is expected that commercial production will start in 2025 and reach full capacity in 2027. By then, the annual module production capacity will reach 5GW.

The factory is located in Sarreguemine in northeastern France, close to the German border, and plans to employ 1,700 people.

Modules produced at the factory will focus on three markets: residential rooftops, industrial and commercial rooftops, and agricultural photovoltaics, though the technology used was not disclosed. PV Tech contacted EIT InnoEnergy to find out which technology the new plant will use.

Commenting on the announcement, Holosolis CEO Jan Jacob Boom-Wichers said: "We will produce the most energy-efficient modules, using the latest photovoltaic technology, with the lowest carbon footprint and the highest social standards. Economies of scale and production line automation can bring at competitive costs that rival the global giants in the industry."

It is the latest in a string of new solar module factories announced in Europe since the European Commission unveiled its Green Deal industry plan in February. The Green Industry Deals scheme aims to expand in-house capacity for net-zero technologies in the EU.

Upstream activity in France has been in flux for the past few months. Startup Carbon plans to build a 5GW cell and 3.5GW module plant in Marseille, southern France, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. Solar company Reden Solar plans to increase its module production capacity in France from 65MW to 200MW by 2024.

Furthermore, EIT InnoEnergy's project is part of an initiative put forward by the European Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance (ESIA), for which EIT has been appointed as its secretariat. ESIA's goal is to reach 30GW of production capacity across the entire value chain in Europe by 2025.