Photowatt, a pioneer in solar energy, is going through another dark period. In operation for forty-five years, the Bourgoin-Jallieu (Isère) company is one of the last companies in France in the photovoltaic panel manufacturing sector. Specialised in the cutting of silicon wafers, it is preparing to change ownership again. EDF, through its subsidiary EDF Renewables, intends to sell the company to the Lyon-based start-up Carbon.
Both parties confirmed a “draft agreement”Thursday, September 19. Its press release specifies that an information and consultation process is underway with the staff representative bodies. ” in progress “.
Staff have already expressed fears of liquidation. “Employees feel that[EDF Renouvelables] seeks to improve its image by delegating the closure of Photowatt to a third party”The inter-union Photowatt (CGT, CFE-CGC, CFDT and FO) said in a press release dated 6 September. According to it, the EDF group “largely finances the acquisition operation (…) because Carbon does not have the means.”
Asian competition
To refute these criticisms, Carbon promises a “investment plan” of the order of 40 million euros and the maintenance of employment on the site. Even the creation of employment, since it declares that it wants to increase the number of jobs to 200 in 2026, compared to the current 170. Which, according to the potential buyer, would imply “the creation of a photovoltaic module production unit with a maximum capacity of 500 megawatts [puissance dans des conditions optimales d’ensoleillement]. (…) That’s the equivalent of a million solar panels a year.”
The operation is part of a broader framework. Carbon wants to launch a giant solar panel factory in the industrial-port area of Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône). The complex would shift from component production (silicon wafers, cells and photovoltaic modules) to assembly, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.
“The chances of success (…) They are thin »The inter-union movement is easing up. Especially since, faced with Asian competition, the establishment of protection mechanisms at European level is still awaited. In recent months, excess capacity in China has weakened the few remaining assembly sites in Europe. It has even pushed some to close, such as the SME Systovi near Nantes in April, and then Recom-Sillia in Côtes-d’Armor in June.
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