Toyo Co. Ltd., the Tokyo-based solar company, has flipped the switch on a flagship U.S. solar-module factory in Humble, just north of Houston. The plant is slated to supply utility-scale projects and is expected to generate roughly 750 manufacturing jobs as production ramps up, marking a notable step toward on-shoring module assembly for U.S. developers.
As first reported by the Houston Business Journal, Toyo formally unveiled the Humble site this week and described it as the company’s flagship U.S. facility. The Journal reported that Toyo aims to hire around 750 workers at peak production, spanning production, technical, and supervisory roles.
TOYO said in a company release that the Houston facility received a Certificate of Occupancy in mid-October and has begun commercial operations, with early trial output already generating orders from U.S. customers. “This certification is a major step forward in our ‘made-in-USA-for-the-USA’ strategy,” CEO Junsei Ryu said in the announcement. PR Newswire published the company statement.
Factory Specs and Capacity
The Humble plant sits at 6115 Greens Road and occupies roughly 567,140 square feet. TOYO’s investor materials filed with the SEC show the site was configured to accommodate an initial 2.5-gigawatt module assembly footprint, with a phased ramp toward as much as 6.5 GW by 2029. Company documents lay out a Phase 1 plan that targets an early 1 GW of production as equipment arrives and production lines are tested, complete with maps, floor plans and a projected buildout timeline.
Policy and Tariffs Shaping the Move
The push to build U.S. capacity comes in the wake of trade and policy shifts that have reshaped global solar manufacturing strategies. Reuters reported last year that TOYO moved to build cell capacity in Ethiopia to avoid tariffs on Southeast Asian imports. TOYO has also said the Houston plant is expected to qualify for Inflation-Reduction-Act-era credits, including Section 45X production incentives that can add meaningful per-watt value. Reuters covered the tariff strategy, and TOYO’s release outlines the 45X expectations.
Customer Demand and Early Contracts
There is already commercial demand backing the plant. Filings show TOYO Solar Texas signed a module supply agreement with New Leaf Energy Buyer for about 380,380 modules, a deal with an aggregate value near $60 million through the end of 2025, and the parent company provided a guaranty for the contract. That kind of early order flow helps explain why Toyo pushed to get the Houston lines operational as quickly as possible. The agreement and its exhibits are detailed in a Form 6-K filed with the SEC.
Hiring, Wages and Local Impact
On the ground, hiring is already visible. Local job listings and walk-in interview notices show TOYO Solar Texas recruiting production operators, equipment technicians and quality staff at its Greens Road address, with entry pay advertised in the mid-teens to low-20s per hour for different roles. Those postings suggest the plant is moving from paperwork to people as lines come online. Indeed currently lists multiple openings tied to the Humble facility.
For Humble and the broader Houston metro, Toyo’s plant is another sign that the U.S. solar supply chain is being built closer to project hubs and to the factories that will serve them. Local officials and neighbors will be watching hiring timelines, whether suppliers begin to cluster nearby, and if the plant’s “made-in-USA” modules ultimately help shorten lead times for big utility projects.
