Qcells furloughs 1,000 workers at US solar factories due to stalled shipments

(Reuters) -Qcells, the U.S. solar manufacturing arm of Korea's Hanwha, said it would furlough 1,000 workers at its Georgia factories because shipments of components it needs from overseas are being routinely stalled by U.S. customs officials. The announcement comes months after the company said some of its shipments of solar cells had been detained at U.S. ports under a 2021 law banning imports from China's Xinjiang region due to concerns about forced labor. Qcells has committed to investing $2.5 billion to build a complete U.S. solar panel supply chain to compete with China. The company manufactures cells in Malaysia and South Korea that are imported to be assembled into panels. It is also ramping up its U.S. cell manufacturing in Cartersville, Georgia. “Qcells expects to resume full production in the coming weeks and months. Our commitment to building the entire solar supply chain in the United States remains," Qcells spokesperson Marta Stoepker said in a statement. "We will soon be back on track with the full force of our Georgia team delivering American-made energy to communities around the country.” The company's detained shipments have been clearing customs, Stoepker said, but the delays have forced the company to curtail production. Qcells has implemented temporary reduced hours and furloughs for about half of its manufacturing employees at plants in Cartersville and Dalton, Georgia. It has also cut about 300 staffing agency workers. (Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Diane Craft)

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