GSTX subsidiary wins $45 million California tax credit for solar manufacturing buildout

Graphene & Solar Technologies said its subsidiary, Quartz & Silicon Materials Co., received a $45 million California Competes Tax Credit for two planned solar materials plants in Southern California. The award supports a 10GW wafer factory in Chula Vista and an ingot plant in Imperial Valley, with more than 800 jobs projected once both sites are running.

Why it matters: - California is backing a domestic solar materials supply chain that could reduce reliance on imported inputs. - The planned projects are designed to support U.S. solar module manufacturing and broader reshoring efforts. - The two facilities are projected to create more than 800 full-time jobs for California residents once fully operational.

What happened: - The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development awarded GSTX subsidiary The Quartz & Silicon Materials Company Limited, or QSM, a $45 million California Competes Tax Credit. - The award is described as the third-largest California Competes Tax Credit issued to date. - The announcement was made June 23, 2026. - QSM plans a 10GW silicon wafer plant in Chula Vista, California. - QSM also plans a monocrystalline silicon ingot manufacturing plant in California’s Imperial Valley.

The details: - The Chula Vista project is in the execution phase. - The Chula Vista site involves an extensive fit-out and expansion of a 197,000-square-foot building. - QSM said the two plants would provide direct full-time employment for more than 800 California residents when fully operational. - QSM is building a hub for solar materials manufacturing in Southern California. - QSM is developing a domestic supply chain for critical solar materials. - The company says the supply chain is meant to help expand U.S. solar module manufacturing capacity. - QSM says the supply chain will comply with Foreign Entity of Concern, or FEOC, rules addressed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. - Outside the U.S., QSM subsidiaries are in Australia and New Zealand, with planning underway in Portugal.

Between the lines: - The award signals California’s interest in using tax incentives to keep clean-energy manufacturing projects in state. - The projects fit a broader push to secure domestic production of solar inputs at a time when supply-chain resilience is a policy priority. - GSTX is positioning QSM as a vertically integrated materials platform, from high-purity quartz and silicon materials to silicon wafers. - The company is also linking the California buildout to federal sourcing and compliance rules, which may matter as solar manufacturers navigate import restrictions and incentive requirements.

What's next: - QSM will continue work on the Chula Vista wafer plant and the Imperial Valley ingot facility. - The company expects the California projects to move toward full operational status over time, though the release does not give a completion date. - GSTX says more information is available in the company’s announcement.

The bottom line: - GSTX landed a major state incentive to help finance two California plants aimed at building out a domestic solar materials supply chain.