One in five NHS trusts using Chinese-made solar panels ‘linked to slaves’

One in five NHS trusts are using solar panels produced by Chinese companies with alleged ties to slave labour, the Mail can reveal.

Hospitals, mental health units and ambulance stations across the country are fitted with such panels, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband looking to expand the scheme exponentially.

His controversial plans to refit the roofs of 200 schools and 200 NHS sites have sparked fury among human rights campaigners. 

But despite Labour bowing to pressure and trying to stop the future purchase of panels from slave labour, critics have warned it will prove challenging, meaning more will end up on NHS buildings.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the Government must do more to clean up the sector as our investigation found:

• Around two thirds of NHS Trusts currently using solar panels have installed equipment made by Chinese firms – with the majority allegedly having ties to slave labour;

• Some panels were installed after the links were made public and after laws were introduced aimed at cleaning up UK supply chains; and

• The largest provider is Beijing-based firm JA Solar, which has provided panels for 19 NHS sites despite being banned in the US.

Hospitals, mental health units and ambulance stations across the country are fitted with panels produced by Chinese companies with alleged ties to slave labour. Pictured: Stock image

In December 2024, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, pictured, installed 86 solar panels made by Chinese firm Longi at a new £9 million outpatient department at West Cornwall Hospital 

China is behind 80 per cent of the global supply of solar panels – and more than a third of the world’s polysilicon, a key component, comes from the Xinjiang region

China is behind 80 per cent of the global supply of solar panels – and more than a third of the world’s polysilicon, a key component, comes from the Xinjiang region.

There, Uighur Muslims are rounded up and forced to work for little or no pay. The solar sector has known its supply chains are affected by slave labour since 2020, according to a report by Sheffield Hallam university. 

And in April 2023, the Tory government introduced requirements for public bodies to provide supply chain information for products deemed at risk of modern slavery.

The Mail asked trusts for names of firms that installed and made their panels, alongside correspondence discussing risk of slave labour in the supply chain. 

But replies show some NHS managers seem to be passing the buck to subcontractors.

Of the 215 health trusts in England, 98 use solar power across 212 sites, with 46 trusts having installed solar panels made by Chinese companies. 

Some 40 of these are using firms linked to slave labour in the 2023 report by Sheffield Hallam.

In December 2024, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust installed 86 solar panels made by Chinese firm Longi at a new £9 million outpatient department at West Cornwall Hospital.

Mr Miliband’s, pictured, £180million of new investment in solar panels is to come from GB Energy, the Government’s new, publicly owned clean energy company

Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP called on the Government to adopt the US model, which places the burden of proof on Chinese firms to prove they are free from slave labour

But when asked what due diligence was carried out, the trust said it was ‘not aware of any correspondence’ discussing the risk.

Instead, it pointed to Longi’s code of conduct, which says the firm does ‘not engage in or tolerate any form of modern slavery’. But Longi was one of ten makers said to have a ‘very high’ exposure to slave labour in Xinjiang by the 2023 report.

RCHT and contractor Kier Construction said that Kier ‘received extensive assurances from its supply chain regarding the ethical production of PV panels’ and that its ‘procurement processes integrate modern slavery due diligence’. 

Longi denied that forced labour was present in its supply chain.

Some trusts said panels had been installed before modern slavery statutes were introduced in 2023.

But Luke de Pulford, of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said companies should still have been screened for exposure to slave labour, given the known risks.

Mr Miliband’s £180million of new investment in solar panels is to come from GB Energy, the Government’s new, publicly owned clean energy company. 

The Government initially voted down a Lords amendment to stop GB Energy buying panels made using slave labour from China.

It reversed its position after 92 Labour MPs abstained. But the Government’s measure in the GB Energy Act only applies to the state-owned energy firm, so private firms could still use Chinese materials. 

Mr De Pulford said it would be ‘difficult’ to ensure equipment was clean of slave labour, as the Government ‘doesn’t have the ability to do the kind of due diligence that’s required’.

And Sir Iain called on the Government to adopt the US model, which places the burden of proof on Chinese firms to prove they are free from slave labour.

Professor Laura Murphy, co-author of the Sheffield Hallam report, said it was possible to meet demand without relying on slave labour, but the sector had not done enough to overhaul or scrutinise supply chains.

An NHS England spokesman said: ‘NHS trusts should always purchase products in line with government procurement guidelines – which includes identifying higher risk sectors and taking appropriate action.’