Qcells Furloughs 1,000 Staff Amid U.S. Customs Delays

In a major blow to America’s clean energy ambitions, solar manufacturer Qcells has announced temporary furloughs for about 1,000 workers at its Georgia facilities after repeated shipment delays caused by U.S. customs checks.

The company, a U.S. arm of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, said that solar cell components imported from Malaysia and South Korea are being routinely held up at ports. These delays have disrupted production at its Dalton and Cartersville plants—two of the country’s largest solar panel factories.

Qcells had previously faced detentions of its shipments under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, a 2021 law restricting imports linked to China’s Xinjiang region. While the company’s recent shipments have started clearing customs, the uncertainty has forced Qcells to scale back operations and reduce employee hours.

The company, which has pledged a $2.5 billion investment to build a full U.S.-based solar supply chain, said it remains committed to expanding its domestic manufacturing capacity. Its Cartersville facility is expected to soon begin producing solar cells locally, reducing reliance on overseas supply routes.

For now, Qcells’ temporary slowdown underscores the growing tension between America’s clean energy manufacturing push and strict import enforcement policies aimed at ensuring ethical supply chains. As production disruptions ripple through the solar sector, the incident highlights how global supply bottlenecks continue to challenge even the most ambitious renewable energy projects.