Rudolf Staudigl, President and CEO, Wacker Chemie.
MUNICH, GERMANY: Wacker Chemie started production at hyperpure polysilicon production facilities at its Nunchritz site, Germany. The company has invested €900 million in the facilities, thereby creating more than 500 new jobs. Initial production began at the facilities in fall last year, and the start-up phase is now virtually complete. The plant is expected to reach its full nominal capacity of some 15,000 metric tonne per year within the next few weeks.
WACKER is ramping up its total capacity for polysilicon to around 52,000 metric tonne by the end of 2012, making it one of the largest producers worldwide. With the new polysilicon site currently under construction in Charleston (Tennessee, US), WACKER’s total annual production capacity will rise to around 70,000 metric tonne by 2014, strengthening its position as a leading producer of high-quality semiconductor- and solar-grade silicon.
“This expansion of capacity is a key prerequisite to enable us now and in the years to come to meet our customers’ demand for top-quality polysilicon for use in highly efficient solar cells. WACKER’s entire polysilicon output, including that from Nunchritz, is almost completely under contract until the end of 2015,” said Rudolf Staudigl, President and CEO, Wacker Chemie.
© WOC News