Awendio Solaris, a UK-based solar manufacturer, has revealed plans to develop a large-scale solar manufacturing and research facility in Montreal, Quebec, positioning the project as one of North America’s largest fully integrated silicon PV production sites.
The privately led project would involve an investment of about CAD 1 billion and is expected to create close to 1,000 manufacturing and R&D jobs, according to the company. Awendio Solaris said in an online statement that the facility would primarily serve the US market, while also supplying Canada, using what it described as a fully North American supply chain.
The company said the first phase of the plant is designed to produce up to 2,500 MW of solar cells and modules per year, with a planned expansion to 5,000 MW. Manufacturing would use n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology, which is already deployed by utilities and developers in the United States and Canada.
Awendio Solaris said it is assessing industrial sites in Montreal and is working with Canadian developer Broccolini on site acquisition and construction. German solar manufacturing engineering firm RCT Solutions and Canadian engineering group AtkinsRéalis are listed as project partners.
The proposed supply chain would span silicon production in North America, polysilicon and wafer processing in the US state of Michigan, and final cell manufacturing and module assembly in Quebec. Operations would be powered mainly by Quebec’s hydroelectric grid, supplemented by on-site solar generation, according to the company.
Awendio Solaris said three First Nations groups – the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, the Huron-Wendat Nation, and the Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawà:ke – have agreed to participate as investor-partners in the project. The company has also signed research partnerships with Université de Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, and Université de Sherbrooke, and plans to set up a non-profit applied research hub focused on PV manufacturing and workforce training.
It claimed that a recent economic impact assessment by EY estimates the project could contribute CAD 5.5 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product over its first decade, including construction, while supporting about 2,500 full-time equivalent jobs annually nationwide. During construction, the project is expected to contribute about CAD 442 million to Québec’s gross domestic product and support more than 1,400 full-time equivalent jobs.
Awendio Solaris said it is working with federal and provincial authorities, including Investissement Quebec, Montreal International, and Hydro-Quebec. National Bank of Canada is acting as financial adviser. The company is targeting financial close by the end of the first quarter of 2026, construction starting in the second quarter of 2026, and volume production in 2028, subject to regulatory and environmental approvals.
The London-based company’s proposal comes as Quebec accelerates efforts to build a domestic solar market alongside its hydro-dominated power system, creating potential downstream demand for locally manufactured equipment. Provincial policy has increasingly focused on combining utility-scale procurement with incentives for distributed generation.
In May, for example, Hydro-Québec outlined plans to deploy up to 3 GW of solar capacity by 2035 as part of an 11 GW clean energy strategy, starting with a 300 MW solar tender for projects no larger than 25 MW and expanding support for residential and business self-generation.
In August, the Canadian provincial utility said it would also offer financial incentives for residential and commercial solar installations starting in 2026, providing CAN 1,000 for each installed kilowatt of capacity, capped at 40% of total installation costs, which could amount to about CAN 5,000 for a typical home system.
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