PVTIME – PVTIME has recently learned that Phase III of JinkoSolar’s massive 25GW monocrystalline rod pulling and wafer cutting project in Wutongqiao Industrial Base, Leshan City will be completed in April of this year.
The Leshan project is being constructed in 5 phases for an investment total of 15 billion yuan. Presently, Phase I and II are fully operational and their combined production capacity exceeds 12GW. Construction of Phase III began in late December of last year and will add another 5GW in ingot pulling capacity and 10GW in wafer slicing capacity. Upon completion, the monocrystalline rod pulling capacity of JinkoSolar’s Sichuan base will reach 18GW and generate an annual output value of 12 billion yuan.
According to the construction schedule, all basic construction has to be completed before this year’s Spring Festival, and the main factory building should be erected as well. To achieve this goal, the engineers must start by solving several issues. Due to the fact that the project construction area is originally a deep trench, the backfill depth is up to 20 meters, there is no stone layer, the soil is soft, and the horizontal operation of construction equipment cannot be guaranteed.
Zhong Gunchao, engineering director at Sichuan Jinko, said that due to the significant depth of backfill and presence of soft soil, it is susceptible to sinking. “In the later stage, with our main electrical equipment installed on the first floor. If the foundation were to sink, it is a big hidden danger to the safety of the plant,” Zhong said.
For this reason, depending on the section, differing construction methods will be adopted to ensure stability. For important load-bearing areas, the combination of concrete replacement and piling will be used. In the less important load-bearing area, besides concrete replacement, the compaction operation will be strengthened to ensure that the safety requirements are met.
