Nextpower Enters Multi-Year Gigawatt-Scale Steel Frame Supply Agreement with Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries Inc. for Advanced Solar Modules

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 17, 2026--

Nextpower™ (NASDAQ: NXT), a leading provider of intelligent power generation technology and solutions for solar power plants, today announced its second major commercial order for U.S.-manufactured steel module frames, entering into a multi-year supply agreement with Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries Inc. (NYSE: JKS), one of the longest operating solar module manufacturers in the United States.

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Under the agreement, Nextpower plans to supply more than one gigawatt (GW) of steel frames, scalable to up to 3 GW over a three-year period, to support module manufacturing in Jinko Solar’s Jacksonville, Fla. facility, with production expected mid-2026. This supply arrangement helps underscore the growing market adoption of steel frames as a more structurally durable, cost-effective solution for tier-one solar modules while further localizing the U.S. supply chain.

For developers, U.S.-made steel frames add six percent to a tracker project’s domestic content calculation, according to U.S. Treasury Department guidance.

“Arevon is excited about Nextpower’s introduction of advanced solar module frames that enhance module durability and are designed and manufactured in the USA,” said Justin Johnson, COO of Arevon, a utility-scale solar developer. “Nextpower’s focus on component and system reliability is greatly welcomed for solar projects, especially in areas of extreme weather.”

“This agreement with Jinko Solar represents clear market validation of steel frames as a reliable and cost-effective solution that supports both module durability and U.S. manufacturing priorities,” said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextpower. “It also reinforces how the U.S. solar industry is industrializing, aligning domestic manufacturing, policy incentives, and proven technology at gigawatt scale.”

To simplify project logistics and reinforce the domestic supply chain, Nextpower plans to further expand its steel frame manufacturing presence in the Southeastern United States to enable direct supply to the Jinko Solar U.S. facility in Jacksonville. This strategy follows Nextpower’s recent expansion of its steel component manufacturing capacity in Memphis – one of more than 25 U.S. factories Nextpower has opened or expanded since 2021.

“Improving module durability and strengthening domestic supply chains are closely linked priorities and areas where Jinko Solar has long been a leader,” said Nigel Cockroft, General Manager at Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries Inc. “From our fourth generation extreme weather module platform to our Jacksonville facility, which has operated since 2018, we have consistently invested ahead of the market. Partnering with Nextpower to integrate domestically produced steel frames into our U.S. modules is a natural extension of that leadership, aligning with U.S. manufacturing priorities, while delivering greater durability at scale for customers and the broader solar industry.”

Industry-wide reliability data is increasingly shaping procurement decisions for utility-scale solar projects. Independent testing has demonstrated the structural advantages of steel frames, including improved torsional stiffness and reduced deflection under mechanical load—key factors in supporting long-term module reliability.

Nextpower Advanced Frames at Intersolar North America 2026

For sales queries, or to meet with a Nextpower steel frame technology expert at Intersolar Solar North America (San Diego, February 18-20, 2026), contact insidesales@nextpower.com. You can also see Nextpower’s steel frame technology on display this week at the Jinko Solar booth #3017 on the show floor.

About Nextpower (formerly Nextracker)

Nextpower™ (Nasdaq: NXT) designs, engineers, and delivers an advanced energy technology platform for solar power plants, innovating across structural, electrical, and digital domains. Our integrated solutions are designed to streamline project execution, increase energy yield and long-term reliability, and enhance customer ROI. Building on over a decade of technology and market leadership, the company delivers intelligent power generation systems and services to meet rapidly expanding global electricity demand. Nextpower partners with the world’s leading energy companies to power what’s next. Learn more at www.nextpower.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including: statements regarding the potential benefits from the steel frame supply agreement; statements regarding the potential amount of steel frames to be delivered under the supply agreement; statements regarding the market adoption, durability, reliability and cost effectiveness of steel frames; statements regarding the ability for steel frames to support module durability and domestic content; and statements regarding Nextpower’s ability under the steel frame supply agreement to meet project-specific structural and economic requirements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to: the market demand for products, solutions and services; unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the steel frame supply agreement; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement; projections regarding the global demand for electricity and solar power; macro-economic trends; and legislative, regulatory and economic developments, including changing business conditions in our industry or markets overall and the economy in general. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements, including risks and uncertainties that are also described under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Nextpower’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents that Nextpower has filed or will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There may be additional risks that Nextpower is not aware of or that Nextpower currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Nextpower assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Nextpower Enters Multi-Year Gigawatt-Scale Steel Frame Supply Agreement with Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries Inc. for Advanced Solar Modules

Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs of compromise over the holiday weekend in their battle over oversight of federal immigration officers that has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump ’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September.

Democrats are demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures are narrowly confined, affecting only agencies under the DHS umbrella, including the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But the work of ICE and CBP will mostly continue unabated, thanks to billions in funding from Trump’s 2025 tax and spending cut law.

The latest:

The partial shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and the White House failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund DHS through September.

Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into their positions. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Democrats want changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers last month. They also want to require immigration agents to wear body cameras and mandate judicial warrants for arrests on private property.

White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration was unwilling to agree to Democrats’ demands that federal officers clearly identify themselves, remove masks during operations and display unique ID numbers.

The work at ICE and CBP goes on unabated because Trump’s tax and spending cut law from 2025 provided billions more to those agencies that can be tapped for deportation operations.

▶ Read more about what’s happening with the shutdown

Trump remembered Jackson in a social media post, calling him a “good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’”

The Republican president also described Jackson as “very gregarious -Someone who truly loved people!”

“He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed! Trump wrote.

It’s up to each federal agency to designate which of its employees are “essential” or “excepted,” both of which mean the same thing in this case. They keep working during a shutdown, typically without being paid until government funding is restored.

Some examples of “essential” employees are military personnel, airport security screeners and law enforcement officers. There can be a wide range, from positions deemed critical for public safety to those authorized by law to continue even without new funding.

Most of the more than 270,000 people employed by DHS are deemed essential, meaning that they stay on the job even during a shutdown. For the fall 2025 shutdown, more than 258,000 DHS employees were in that category, and about 22,000 — or 5% of the agency’s total employee base — were furloughed.

Other agencies affected are the Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The vast majority of employees at the Secret Service and U.S. Coast Guard will continue their work, though they could miss a paycheck depending on the shutdown’s length.

At FEMA, the shutdown will disrupt the agency’s ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs. Some workers will be furloughed, limiting the agency’s ability to coordinate with state and local partners. Training for first responders at the National Disaster and Emergency Management University in Maryland will be disrupted.

Essentially, it’s because Trump acquiesced to Democrats’ request that Homeland Security funding be stripped from a broader spending package to allow more time for negotiation over demands for changes to immigration enforcement, such as a code of conduct for federal agents and a requirement that officers show identification. DHS was temporarily funded only through Friday.

The rest of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30. That means most federal programs are unaffected by the latest shutdown, including food assistance, and pay for most federal workers and for service members will continue uninterrupted.

The U.S. Capitol is seen Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)