T1 Energy, an energy manufacturer headquartered in Austin, Texas, announced plans on Monday for a new solar manufacturing facility in Rockdale. The company plans to invest $850 million in the project, which will be located at the Advanced Manufacturing and Logistix Campus at Sandow Lakes, about 60 miles east of Austin.
The new facility will have the capacity to produce up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of solar cells, making it one of the largest solar manufacturing facilities in the United States. T1 Energy expects the project to create up to 1,800 jobs.
Texas is already a leader in solar energy generation in the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Texas generated approximately 40 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of both small-scale and utility-scale solar power in 2024, second only to California.
T1 Energy, formerly known as Freyr Battery, re-branded in February when it relocated to Austin. The company was initially established in 2018 and had planned to build a $2.6 billion facility in Atlanta, Georgia. However, Freyr sold that property for $50 million before moving operations to Texas. Concurrently, the company acquired a 5 GW solar factory in Wilmer, near Dallas.
The expansion in Rockdale aligns with T1 Energy’s strategy to strengthen its presence in the U.S. solar and battery storage market. Daniel Barcelo, T1’s Chairman of the Board and CEO, expressed optimism about the company’s growth prospects and its role in advancing American energy and manufacturing.
This announcement underscores Texas’s burgeoning reputation as a hub for renewable energy, with incentives in place for power plants to transition to clean energy sources. T1 Energy’s development in Rockdale is expected to contribute significantly to the state’s renewable energy infrastructure and job creation efforts.