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Qcells Restarts Full Production at Georgia Plants After Customs Detentions Ease

The manufacturer now pivots to a $2.5 billion Cartersville buildout to localize ingot, wafer, cell production.

Overview

  • Qcells said its Georgia factories have returned to normal output after the release of component shipments that were stuck in customs.
  • Every furloughed worker has been brought back, following a November 2025 pause that affected about 1,000 employees and coincided with roughly 300 layoffs.
  • The clearance issues stemmed from U.S. Customs detentions under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, including seven delayed shipments from South Korea.
  • Qcells maintains its modules use no Chinese or Xinjiang-origin materials, even as its goods faced increased scrutiny last summer.
  • The company is advancing a $2.5 billion Cartersville expansion targeting 3.3 GW of integrated ingot, wafer, and cell capacity by the end of 2026, with Georgia plants projected to reach 8.4 GW and nearly 4,000 employees by then.