Italian utility Enel (ENEI.MI) said on Thursday it would build a solar photovoltaic (PV) cell and panel manufacturing facility in the United States in an effort to support the creation of a North-American supply chain. The factory is expected to initially produce at least 3 gigawatt (GW) and scale up to 6 GW of high-performance bifacial PV modules and cells annually, the group said in a statement.

The group said the facility is expected to be among the first to produce solar cells in the United States, where a ban on imports of some Chinese solar materials is creating issues for energy developers.