Nextracker opens Nevada line for steel PV tracker components

September 12 (Renewables Now) - Nextracker Inc (NASDAQ:NXT) and mechanical solutions provider Unimacts on Monday launched a dedicated manufacturing line in Las Vegas, Nevada, to produce critical steel components for the solar tracker maker’s products on the local market.

The facility will be owned and operated by Unimacts, with its output planned to serve Nextracker’s ground-mount solar projects, mostly in Nevada and southwestern states. According to the partners, the production will support “gigawatts of utility-scale projects annually” and could potentially reach projects as far east as Indiana and Kentucky.

The Las Vegas facility was set up with Unimacts manufacturing machinery and equipment relocated from Mexico, as well as new equipment. Currently, the plant will operate with a staff of 100, with the personnel expected to be doubled by 2024.

“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.

Nextracker already has solar tracker production lines operating in Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee. Last month, in a partnership with global electronics component manufacturer Asteelflash, it opened a US manufacturing line to produce the Nextracker self-powered controller for tracker systems in Fremont, California.