• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechSunEdison

SunEdison Cuts Factories, Jobs in Attempt to Stay Afloat

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 18, 2016, 4:03 PM ET
SUNEDISON INTERCONNECTS 16.4 MEGAWATT SOLAR POWER PLANT FOR DAVIS-MONTHAN
SunEdison Interconnects 16.4 Megawatt Solar Power Plant for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Photo Credit: Davis-Monthan Air Force. (PRNewsFoto/SunEdison) THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED BY PRNewsfoto and is for EDITORIAL USE ONLY**Photograph by AP/PRNewsFoto/SunEdison

In the wake of a massive acquisition binge gone wrong and a stock that’s plummeted in recent months, beleaguered clean energy company SunEdison is closing factories and cutting jobs in an attempt to right itself.

On Thursday SunEdison (SUNE) announced it plans to sell its silicon wafer factory in Malaysia, close a silicon factory in Texas, and restructure its operations in Oregon. The changes will add a charge of $435 million to SunEdison’s fourth quarter earnings, and eliminate 220 jobs.

As a result of the announcement, SunEdison’s shares sunk more than 11% to $1.49 in morning trading. That’s a small fraction of its stock price, which traded at a high of $33.45 last summer.

For more on on the economics behind clean energy:

A year and a half ago, SunEdison was flying high, acquiring large, clean energy developers like wind company First Wind, and Vivint Solar, which at the time was the second largest solar installer in the U.S. But following the news of the $2.2 billion acquisition of Vivint, investors started to grow wary of the big spending, and SunEdison’s stock began to slide.

In recent months, SunEdison backed away from some of those acquisitions. The company was reportedly shopping around some of the Vivint Solar assets, but private equity group Blackstone Group, which owns shares in Vivint, won’t likely let SunEdison out of the deal. SunEdison did walk away from a deal to buy Latin America Power, which develops clean energy across South America.

However, last week Latin America Power turned around and sued SunEdison, trying to get access to $150 million in arbitration as a result of the failed deal. The lawsuit contends that SunEdison is “teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

In addition to backpedaling on the buying spree, SunEdison is also now desperately cutting costs and slashing some of the divisions that once made it highly valued. Earlier in the month SunEdison sold off its Japanese solar arm to a Thai oil company.

Now it’s continuing its slash and burn strategy to stay afloat. But with a handful of lawsuits pending, and a stock price below $2 per share, how much runway does SunEdison have before it reaches the end of the cliff?

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Latest in Tech

Future of WorkColleges and Universities
Top University of Minnesota grads are ‘at least as good, maybe better’ than the best and brightest from Harvard, former Goldman Sachs CEO says
By Jason MaJanuary 10, 2026
13 hours ago
InvestingStock Options
Investor Michael Burry reveals options bet against Oracle
By Carmen Reinicke, Jeran Wittenstein and BloombergJanuary 10, 2026
21 hours ago
cappelli
AIHuman resources
AI adoption isn’t an easy way to cut jobs—or easy at all, Wharton professor says: ‘The key thing … is just how much work is involved in doing it’
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 10, 2026
23 hours ago
MagazineNetflix
Netflix’s $82.7 billion rags-to-riches story: How the a DVD-by-mail company swallowed Hollywood
By Natalie JarveyJanuary 10, 2026
1 day ago
Bill Gates speaks onstage at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum 2025 at The Plaza Hotel on September 24, 2025 in New York City.
AIBill Gates
Bill Gates says AI could be used as a bioterrorism weapon akin to the COVID pandemic if it falls into the wrong hands
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 9, 2026
2 days ago
shapiro
Big TechMedia
Netflix’s competition isn’t sleep anymore. Its battle against YouTube is like fighting an ‘infinite number of monkeys,’ top strategist says
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 9, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Health
Bill Gates warns the world is going 'backwards' and gives 5-year deadline before we enter a new Dark Age
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Silicon Valley billionaire flies coach out of solidarity: 'If I'm going to ask my employees to do it, I need to do it, too'
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
As U.S. debt soars past $38 trillion, the flood of corporate bonds is a growing threat to the Treasury supply
By Jason MaJanuary 10, 2026
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
By Emma BurleighJanuary 8, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Gen Z is rebelling against the economy with ‘disillusionomics,’ tackling near 6-figure debt by turning life into a giant list of income streams
By Jacqueline MunisJanuary 10, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Bill Gates donated record $8 billion to Melinda French Gates' foundation as part of their divorce settlement
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 9, 2026
2 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.