Expanded capacity and regional presence strengthen U.S. supply chains and support increasing solar power demand across the Southeast
NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nextpower (Nasdaq: NXT, formerly Nextracker), a leading provider of intelligent power generation systems for solar power plants, today announced the opening of an expanded Southeast regional hub with a new Remote Monitoring Center in Nashville, alongside a major expansion of its U.S. steel fabrication capacity in the region. The addition of a new fabrication line, operated by MSS Steel Tubes USA based in Memphis, Tennessee, will double Nextpower’s manufacturing capacity with MSS for solar tracker systems used in utility-scale power plants across the Southeast. The existing steel fabrication line at the facility currently supports 120 skilled U.S. jobs, with 150 expected as the new line ramps up.
“Since we founded Silicon Ranch in Nashville 15 years ago, we have always been motivated by the meaningful role the energy transition plays in supporting economic development, and we’re proud to have partners like Nextpower invest here in our own backyard,” said Reagan Farr, Silicon Ranch co-founder and CEO. “In our first 15 years, Silicon Ranch installed more than 4 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy capacity—one of the largest operating fleets in the United States—and we will double that figure over the next three years. Nextpower’s expansion in Tennessee helps us do so while enabling us to support additional investments in domestic manufacturing; this is what ‘unleashing American energy’ looks like.”
“The Southeast has entered a new era of energy infrastructure,” said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextpower. “This new U.S. manufacturing line with our partner MSS not only doubles our Memphis factory production capacity for solar trackers, but it also helps our customers scale projects faster, brings new American jobs, and strengthens our supply chain. Silicon Ranch pioneered utility-scale solar in the Southeast and continues to lead the way in delivering high quality projects that serve the region’s increasing demand for electricity. Nextpower has been proud to support them for more than a decade, and together, we’re powering what’s next.”
According to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the Southeast added 5 GW of solar in 2024 alone, pushing total capacity to nearly 28 GW, and is on track to nearly double that total to 54 GW by 2030. Nextpower’s fabrication capacity will support utility-scale solar power plants across Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Virginia—many of which are developed, owned, and operated by Tennessee-based Silicon Ranch Corporation, one of the largest independent power producers in the country.
“We’re proud to have built a lasting and trusted partnership with Nextpower—one grounded in shared values of quality and innovation,” said António Pedro Antunes, CEO of Metalogalva Group, parent company of MSS. “Together, we’ve firmly established production capacity here in Tennessee to serve the growing demand for solar power infrastructure across the Southeastern United States. This expansion reflects our long-term commitment to American manufacturing and to powering the clean energy transition with steel that’s locally made.”
To celebrate economic growth in the Southeast and its expansion, Nextpower will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new Nashville office, featuring Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, executives from Silicon Ranch and MSS Steel Tubes, representatives from major U.S. steel suppliers, and officials from the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The event includes guided tours of Nextpower’s new Remote Monitoring Center, which connects Nashville-based engineers to Nextpower solar tracker projects around the world.
“Nextpower’s expansion is a powerful example of the innovation and economic momentum taking place across Tennessee,” said Josh Brown, President and CEO of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “This investment supports new jobs, deepens our state’s manufacturing capabilities, and positions Tennessee to remain a national leader as demand for clean energy and advanced infrastructure accelerates. We’re proud to support partners like Nextpower, MSS Steel Tubes, and Silicon Ranch as they position Tennessee at the center of America’s clean energy growth.”
To learn more about Nextpower’s Remote Monitoring Center and real-time analytics tools, contact [email protected]. To explore career opportunities with our Nashville or other worldwide teams, visit www.nextpower.com/careers.
About Nextpower (formerly Nextracker)
Nextpower™ (Nasdaq: NXT) designs, engineers, and delivers an advanced energy technology platform for solar power plants, innovating across structural, electrical, and digital domains. Our integrated solutions are designed to streamline project execution, increase energy yield and long-term reliability, and enhance customer ROI. Building on over a decade of technology and market leadership, the company delivers intelligent power generation systems and services to meet rapidly expanding global electricity demand. Nextpower partners with the world’s leading energy companies to power what’s next. Learn more at www.nextpower.com.
About MSS Steel Tubes
MSS Steel Tubes USA LLC is a subsidiary of Metalogalva Group, based in Portugal. MSS Steel Tubes opened its first U.S. production facility in Memphis, Tennessee in 2023 and has been a proud partner of Nextpower since 2015.
About Silicon Ranch Corporation
Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of customized solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions. The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the U.S., with a portfolio that includes more than eight gigawatts of solar and battery storage systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada. Silicon Ranch owns and operates every project in its portfolio and has maintained an unrivalled track record of project execution. Silicon Ranch has the largest wholly owned agrivoltaics portfolio in the country under Regenerative Energy®, its nationally recognized agribusiness and holistic approach to project design, construction, and land stewardship. This model incorporates regenerative ranching and other regenerative land stewardship practices to restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality. Silicon Ranch’s carbon solutions platform, Clearloop®, helps businesses of all sizes reclaim their carbon footprint by commissioning new solar projects in American communities where significant economic and environmental benefits can be achieved. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including: statements regarding Nextpower’s new operations hub and expansion of its U.S. manufacturing capacity in the Southeast; and statements regarding the anticipated benefits of such expansion and increased capacity to our customers, supply chain and the anticipated new job creation. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including: our strategies, mission, plans, objectives and goals; the market demand for our products, solutions and services and our ability to deliver them to customers; projections regarding the U.S. and global demand for electricity and solar power; our competitiveness and global market share; macro-economic trends; growth opportunities and plans for future operations; changing business conditions in our industry and markets overall; and legislative, regulatory and economic developments. These forward-looking statements are based on various assumptions and on the current expectations of Nextpower’s management. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements, including risks and uncertainties that are also described under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Nextpower’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents that Nextpower has filed or will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There may be additional risks that Nextpower is not aware of or that Nextpower currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Nextpower assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts
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