Chinese solar energy product manufacturer and international market leader LONGi Green Energy Technology started construction on June 15 of a major new plant with a projected annual production of 100 gigawatts of monocrystalline silicon wafers and 50 GW of monocrystalline cells.

The plant is located in Jinghe New City, Xixian New Area – a new national area built by the cities of Xi'an and Xianyang in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

LONGi Green Energy Technology's planned manufacturing plant in Xixian New Area breaks ground on June 15. [Photo/Xi'an Daily]

Costing 45.2 billion yuan ($6.34 billion), the project will be a photovoltaic plant with the largest construction scale, the highest production capacity and the most advanced technology in the world.

On completion, it will employ 15,000 people, with 20 percent high-end talent with master's and doctorate degrees.

What's more, the projected output of 50 GW of monocrystalline cells will generate about 133 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can cut the consumption of 48 million metric tons of standard coal.

This will reduce 103 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent to increasing afforestation by 4.22 million mu (281,333 hectares).

The plant will adopt the world's leading cell technology, leading global energy transformation and development with technological innovation.

Furthermore, LONGi will increase research and development efforts and accelerate the transformation of sci-tech achievements. It will develop the complex into a new energy industry demonstration base with top specifications and the latest in technology, to promote Xi'an's premium development.