California — Nextracker, a global market leader of solar tracker and software solutions, and Unimacts (UNX), a leading provider of industrial manufacturing and supply chain solutions, announced the grand opening of a Nextracker-dedicated manufacturing facility in Las Vegas.
The new facility, owned and operated by Unimacts, will produce critical steel components exclusively for Nextracker used in ground-mount solar power generation plants to primarily serve projects in Nevada and southwestern states. This is Nextracker’s sixth public dedication of a new manufacturing facility since 2022 and the 15th facility the Company opened or expanded with key suppliers in the U.S. in that time.
The Las Vegas facility features expanded production capacity generating more than 100 new jobs currently, and over 200 expected by 2024. The plant includes Unimacts manufacturing machinery and equipment relocated from Mexico as well as new equipment.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), nearly 200 gigawatts of solar manufacturing capacity have been announced or expanded since the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year.
“By partnering with Unimacts on this new production line, we’re bringing back American manufacturing jobs and building out America’s energy infrastructure to enhance energy security and de-risk the supply chain,” said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextracker. “This plant will support our customers with quick shipping and American-made products.”
Nextracker has continued to invest in solar manufacturing building out more than 25 GW of annual domestic solar tracker capacity with new dedicated production lines announced in Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee and now, in Nevada.
“Unimacts is excited that our partnership with Nextracker will create new jobs and increase the amount of solar we can produce here in the US,” said Matt Arnold, CEO of Unimacts. “With the Nextracker dedicated line, we will be supporting gigawatts of utility-scale projects annually, powering homes and businesses across the Southwest and even as far east as Indiana and Kentucky.”
Jason Ellsworth, CEO of Clenera a developer and owner of clean power projects said, “Clenera is proud to continue to partner with Nextracker based on their proven technology, on-time delivery record, and focus on expanding U.S. domestic production capacity.”
“Nextracker and Unimact’s new facility is a shining example of how smart policy can uplift communities with jobs and local investment,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “The United States is in the midst of a clean energy manufacturing renaissance, and investments like this are helping drive us toward an abundant, reliable, American-made clean energy future.”
Nextracker and Unimacts held a dedication event to announce the new line at the Las Vegas facility, which also coincided with the solar industry’s largest show, RE+, taking place in Las Vegas that week. Present at the event were Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of SEIA, Jason Ellsworth, CEO of Clenera, Jennifer Cooper, Vice President of Global Supply Chain at the AES Corporation, David Crane, Undersecretary for Infrastructure in the United States Department of Energy, and Jon Wellinghoff, CEO of GridPolicy & Chief Regulatory Officer, Voltus. They spoke to the importance of reliable clean energy, local economic development, and American energy independence.
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