GS Hong Kong Solar, a maker of thin-film CIGS solar cells, has officially opened its new 150,000 square foot manufacturing plant.

The plant has a phase one, full-production capacity of 40 megawatts (MW) per year. GS Solar notes that it is simultaneously breaking ground on a 750 KW CIGS solar fields (one of the world's largest), and is commissioning a 35 MW plant in China to open in autumn 2014.

GS Hong Kong Solar has expanded from its former 40,000 square foot. factory to the new 100,000 square foot facility and is beginning construction of its 34,000 square foot factory in Berlin, Germany.

The company says that the addition of the two new facilities will increase its annual capacity from 5 MW to 70 MW. GS Solar plans an additional 100 MW into production at the end of 2009, bringing its total annual capacity to 175 MW.

Naseer Sayed, Managing Director, comments, "Production from this facility will help satisfy the strong demand for solar product across the world, while providing local residents already a government city, with jobs in a rapidly-growing, high-tech industry.

"The addition Global Solar plant will help meet the 2015 goal of the government Initiative of achieving solar electricity cost competitiveness with grid electricity, especially through the use of flexible CIGS thin-film technologies in building-integrated applications."