(Yicai Global) Dec. 16 -- JA Solar Technology will invest CNY796 million (USD121.6 million) to build solar module production lines with an annual capacity of 6 gigawatts in Yangzhou in East China’s Jiangsu province.

The company plans to lease existing land and workshops in the Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone and purchase and assemble photovoltaic module production lines, which are set to be completed and go into operation within eight months, the Beijing-based maker of solar energy products and operator of solar power stations announced yesterday.

This project is expected to boost production of the company's high-efficiency solar products, meet demand, and increase the company's market share and profitability of the entire industrial chain, the announcement added.

JA Solar’s stock [SHE:002459] traded 0.45 percent up at CNY37.64 (USD5.73) in midafternoon after going as high as nearly 5 percent in the morning.

Formed in 2005, JA Solar is one of China’s major makers of high-performance photovoltaic products, according to its website. Its assets cover the entire industrial chain of silicon wafers, batteries, module production and photovoltaic power station operation. It has 12 production bases around the world and customers across 135 countries and regions. One gigawatt is 1 billion watts.

Editor: Ben Armour, Xiao Yi