(Reuters) -Qcells, the U.S. solar manufacturing arm of Korea’s Hanwha, said it would furlough 1,000 workers at its Georgia factories because shipments of components it needs from overseas are being routinely stalled by U.S. customs officials.

The announcement comes months after the company said some of its shipments of solar cells had been detained at U.S. ports under a 2021 law banning imports from China’s Xinjiang region due to concerns about forced labor.

Qcells has committed to investing $2.5 billion to build a complete U.S. solar panel supply chain to compete with China. The company manufactures cells in Malaysia and South Korea that are imported to be assembled into panels. It is also ramping up its U.S. cell manufacturing in Cartersville, Georgia.

“Qcells expects to resume full p

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