Solar panel company breaks ground on $1.1B project in Iberia Parish

State, regional and local elected officials along with executives with solar panel manufacturer First Solar broke ground Thursday on a $1.1 billion manufacturing facility in Iberia Parish, a project officials say will benefit the entire region.

Ohio-based First Solar, the largest solar module manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere, celebrated the start of the two-year construction project at the Acadiana Regional Airport; it will be the company’s fifth manufacturing site. State and elected officials have tabbed it as the largest capital investment ever in the region.

The project will mean 700 well-paying jobs for the area along with hundreds of indirect jobs. First Solar expects to begin commercial shipments by the first half of 2026.

Read more at The Acadiana Advocate…