Strong demand drives Chinese polysilicon imports to next record

With a monthly volume of 16,141 metric tons (MT), polysilicon imports into China reached another record high in August.

Bernreuter Research sees two reasons for the sharp increase:

1) The high volume in August compensated for the weaker imports in July when the South Korean suppliers OCI and Hanwha Chemical carried out maintenance work at their plants. The average of the imports in July and August – 14,926 MT – is only slightly higher than the June record of 14,816 MT. (Reduced output of a few Chinese plants due to maintenance was compensated by new Chinese producers.)

2) The high import volume in August indicates that the value chain anticipated stronger PV end demand in September and/or build-up of new inventories to hedge against tight polysilicon supply.