Suntech Power Holdings announced that last year it reached its company goal of achieving 1GW capacity for both solar cells and modules. Suntech claims they are the first solar company to reach both of these goals simultaneously. However, in response to the current economic situation, Suntech plans to keep production at 1GW throughout 2009, instead of continuing its expansion as originally planned. Suntech’s Chairman and CEO, Dr. Zhengrong Shi, commented on the achievement:

"We are very proud to become the world’s first PV solar company to achieve 1GW of solar cell and module production capacity. Since our inception, we have focused on rapidly building world-class manufacturing facilities that can meet the burgeoning global demand for green energy. This milestone is a credit to all Suntech employees that have tirelessly worked towards the common goal of making cost- effective solar energy systems available on a global scale."