Tornado damages Canadian Solar cell factory in China

Jun. 27, 2016 – Canadian Solar announced last week that a severe tornado damaged its solar cell factory in Funing County, China, causing property damage and personal injuries.

The tornado struck June 23 on Funing, the newer and smaller of the company’s two solar cell factories in China.

According to a company statement, the Funing solar cell facility is currently shut down while Canadian Solar assesses the extent of the damage. It is also reviewing the extent and scope of its casualty and property insurance with its carriers, it added. At this moment, the company said it expects to “recover substantially all of its financial losses through insurance.”

“Our thoughts are with the families of Canadian Solar employees and the local residents impacted by the severe weather. We have immediately dispatched our internal  emergency response team from our other facilities in China to help our employees in Funing and people in the local communities. We are assessing the situation but do not expect it to have a material impact on our business,” said Dr. Shawn Qu, company chairman and CEO.

Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar is a manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules and a provider of solar energy solutions. According to the company, it has shipped more than 14 GW of “premium quality modules” in more than 90 countries around the world.