Polysilicon maker REC Silicon “more or less without customers”

Shares of global polysilicon production capacity
Through import duties and capacity expansion, China is increasing its share in global polysilicon production – Chart: Bloomberg NEF

U.S.-based REC Silicon is edging closer to shutting down its polysilicon plant in Moses Lake, Washington. The factory is currently running at 25% of its capacity.

According to news agency Bloomberg, CEO Tore Torvund has told his board of directors that he will be forced to shutdown the plant by May if U.S. President Donald Trump does not strike a deal with China in the ongoing trade talks within the next few weeks.

China, whose market share in global solar wafer production already was 83% in 2017, has practically closed its market to polysilicon imports from the USA through prohibitive duty tariffs. REC Silicon’s remaining customer base in Taiwan has also faded away as Taiwanese makers of multicrystalline solar wafers reduced or abandoned production in recent months. “We are more or less without customers,” Torvund said.

Get Your In-depth Report: The Polysilicon Market Outlook 2029

The Polysilicon Market Outlook 2029, report opened
  • Benefit from 102 pages full of rich data, in-depth analyses and detailed forecasts on the polysilicon, solar and semiconductor industries
  • Learn all about the latest developments of polysilicon manufacturing technologies (Siemens process, fluidized bed reactor, upgraded silicon kerf loss from wafer sawing)
  • Obtain comprehensive data on production volumes and capacities of 41 solar-grade and electronic-grade polysilicon plants from 2023 through 2029
  • Gain insight into decisive market trends, based on four sophisticated scenarios of supply and demand through 2029
  • Get valuable guidance with cash cost data on 27 solar-grade polysilicon plants and spot price forecasts through 2029

Go to the Report

Learn all about the polysilicon market

Go back

Comments

Add a comment

Back to Polysilicon News