(Yicai) Sept. 12 -- Trina Solar will spend USD200 million on constructing a large solar panel factory in Texas, the United States, after the Chinese firm was ordered to pay additional tariffs on imported panels.

The manufacturer will establish a facility of more than one million square feet in Wilmer, TX, to produce five gigawatts of solar modules per year and create 1,500 local jobs, the Changzhou-based firm said in a statement yesterday. The polysilicon used in the factory will come from the States and Europe.

Chinese photovoltaic companies are facing some headwinds in the US as in August, the commerce department concluded that five Chinese solar panel companies, including Trina Solar, have been skirting US tariff laws by routing their operations through Southeast Asian countries, and should have additional tariffs imposed on them.

"We have long had a vision to manufacture solar products in the US, and we are proud of the jobs we are creating and the investment we are making in the Wilmer community,” per Steven Zhu, president of Trina Solar US. The firm's goal is to create an ecosystem of American manufacturing that can serve the burgeoning solar market, he added.

Wilmer Mayor Shelia Petta applauded the investment. “It’s great to see that companies are reinvigorating manufacturing and creating workforce opportunities especially within Southern Dallas County as this region continues to explode with growth.”

"This factory will create sustained jobs and business opportunities right here in America, and enable us to deliver high quality and trusted products for our customers," said Mark Rangel, executive vice president of Spear Commercial & Industrial, a construction partner.

Since Trina Solar was founded over a quarter of a century ago, it has shipped more than 150 GW of modules to help customers in more than 100 countries and regions generate renewable energy.

Shares of Trina Solar [SHA: 688599] closed 0.7 percent higher at CNY31.03 (USD4.30).

Editor: Emmi Laine