Meyer Burger reduces sales expectations for utility-scale segment

Swiss cell and module manufacturer Meyer Burger AG has reduced its production volume forecasts for the current and coming year. The company no longer expects 500 megawatts (MW) in 2022, as previously announced, but only 320 to 370 MW. In the first half of the year, Meyer Burger achieved only 108 MW; for the second half, it expects 210 to 260 MW.
So far, the ramp-up of a module production line with 400 MW of annual capacity is »technically complete,« and the ramp-up of further lines for the targeted total capacity of 1.4 gigawatts (GW) is »expected« to start in September. The company then expects production volumes of 1.0 to 1.2 GW in 2023, down from 1.35 GW previously cited.
Meyer Burger’s main reason for the reduced expectations is »ongoing global supply chain constraints«, which have delayed the arrival of required components for the production lines. This would also have resulted in further problems with the expansion of manufacturing and ongoing production.
The company says it has so far been able to pass on increased material costs for its production to its customers. The sales prices achieved had been »significantly« higher than expected. However, this apparently only applies to the small and medium-sized equipment segment. For the time being, Meyer Burger has abandoned its plans to keep up in the much more price-sensitive segment of utility-scale solar power plants: Here, the »sales plan« for 2023 had envisaged a share of »up to 30 percent«. Now, however, the company expects sales »almost entirely in the growing high-margin residential rooftop segment.« However, it »continues to pursue its strategic plans to enter the large-scale utility segment as a key additional pillar.«
The company did not comment on the potential impact of the latest development on its schedule to build annual production capacity for cells and modules of five GW each by 2026 and seven GW by 2027.
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