News on plant

News on suppliers, market trends and technology innovations in polysilicon and wafer production is selected, assessed and written for you by Bernreuter Research.

China’s market shares in global production capacity along the PV value chain (solar-grade polysilicon, solar ingot, solar wafer, solar cell, solar module)

Wacker to reduce the workforce of its U.S. polysilicon plant by 3%

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Expecting a decrease in demand in view of the shrinking market outside China, Wacker is planning to cut the 650-strong workforce of its U.S. polysilicon plant by 20 employees or around 3%.

Wacker’s U.S. polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee

Wacker Polysilicon’s operating EBITDA margin slips to -13.3%

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Record-low polysilicon prices and inventory valuation adjustments pushed the operating EBITDA margin of Wacker’s polysilicon division to minus 13.3% in the third quarter.

REC Silicon’s silane/polysilicon plant in Butte, Montana

REC Silicon mulls selling its cash cow, the Butte polysilicon plant

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REC Silicon has announced considerations to sell its second plant, located in Butte in the U.S. state of Montana, which produces silane and electronic-grade polysilicon for the semiconductor industry.

REC Silicon’s fluidized bed reactor polysilicon plant in Moses Lake, Washington at dusk

REC Silicon mothballs polysilicon plant in Moses Lake as expected

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In view of no visible progress in the trade negotiations between the USA and China, REC Silicon has placed its fluidized bed reactor (FBR) polysilicon plant at Moses Lake in a long-term shutdown.

Hankook Silicon’s polysilicon plant in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, South Korea

Korean polysilicon producer Hankook Silicon close to bankruptcy

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On June 10, a court in Seoul decided to terminate the rehabilitation proceedings for Hankook Silicon after two attempts to sell the Korean polysilicon manufacturer failed.

REC Silicon’s fluidized bed reactor polysilicon plant in Moses Lake, Washington at night

REC Silicon delays decision on shutdown of FBR polysilicon plant

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While trade negotiations between the USA and China have stalled, polysilicon manufacturer REC Silicon puts its last hope in talks between the two rivals at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

Fire at Wacker’s U.S. polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee

Next incident at Wacker’s U.S. polysilicon plant: fire extinguished

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20 months after a severe hydrogen explosion at Wacker’s U.S. polysilicon plant near Charleston, Tennessee, a fire in the waste water treatment building was extinguished.

Jiangsu Zhongneng’s polysilicon plant in Xuzhou, Jiangsu

GCL to close polysilicon plant in Jiangsu for new base in Sichuan

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Leading China-based polysilicon manufacturer GCL-Poly wants to replace its existing plant in Jiangsu province by a new 60,000-ton base in Leshan in the western province of Sichuan.

OCI’s polysilicon plant in Gunsan, South Korea

OCI considers shifting polysilicon capacity from Korea to Malaysia

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The prospect of rising electricity prices has prompted polysilicon manufacturer OCI to consider shifting production capacity from its South Korean plant in Gunsan to its subsidiary in Malaysia.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of Daqo, OCI, Wacker and REC Silicon from Q4 2017 through Q4 2018

The EBITDA difference of making polysilicon in or outside China

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While China-based polysilicon manufacturer Daqo reported another record low in production costs, the polysilicon division of market leader Wacker slid into the red with its EBITDA in the fourth quarter.