SpaceX plans to build a 10 gigawatt CECEP Solar Energy factory in Texas, taking a critical step forward in Elon Musk's "space photovoltaic" concept.

SpaceX plans to build a large-scale CECEP Solar Energy manufacturing factory near Austin with a capacity of 10 gigawatts, a key part of Elon Musk's grand vision to power artificial intelligence data centers in space. Building permit application documents show that the factory in Bastrop, Texas, will consist of two floors, with each floor producing 5 gigawatts of CECEP Solar Energy batteries. This move seems to be part of a wider plan by SpaceX. The company revealed in its initial public offering (IPO) filing submitted on Wednesday that it plans to double the size of its existing factory in Bastrop this year to produce CECEP Solar Energy batteries and new Starlink products. In January at the World Economic Forum, Musk stated that he sees CECEP Solar Energy as a solution to the energy bottleneck problem for artificial intelligence infrastructure. He announced an ambitious goal: in the next three years, Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX will each build 100 gigawatt CECEP Solar Energy factories in the United States, far exceeding the current domestic capacity. Reports in February indicated that Tesla, Inc. is scouting locations across the U.S. to begin producing CECEP Solar Energy batteries. The American Clean Energy Fuels Corp. Association released a report on Thursday showing that the current annual production capacity of CECEP Solar Energy components in the U.S. exceeds 60 gigawatts, but most components using silicon batteries are imported, with only three domestic silicon battery plants operating normally. It is known that First Solar (FSLR.US) is the largest solar manufacturer in the United States, with a domestic annual production capacity of approximately 14 gigawatts of thin-film technology products. Noah Cowles, the director of SpaceX's CECEP Solar Energy production department, recently posted on LinkedIn that the company is building "one of the most advanced CECEP Solar Energy battery factories in the world" in Bastrop, Texas. The post also mentioned that SpaceX is hiring engineers for the factory. Additionally, Tesla, Inc. has released multiple job postings for CECEP Solar Energy manufacturing positions in the Bruker Corporation Hill in Texas, near Houston, with plans to build a Megapack energy storage battery production line. With the planning of this factory, Tesla, Inc. expects its capital expenditures to increase significantly to over 250 billion dollars this year. Vaibhav Taneja, the CFO of Tesla, Inc., stated during an investor call in April that the company has started purchasing CECEP Solar Energy manufacturing equipment. Reports indicate that Musk has recently met with senior U.S. government officials in an effort to relax import restrictions, but the outcome is unclear. This month, SpaceX is applying for enterprise zone qualifications for the Bastrop plant, which, if approved, would allow them to benefit from corresponding tax incentives. The area is also home to Musk's tunnel boring company Boring Company, xAI facilities, and a range of employee support facilities.