- EN
- Newsroom
- Polysilicon News
- Article
Wacker restarts U.S. polysilicon plant after eight-month halt

After investigating the cause of the hydrogen explosion that occurred on September 7, 2017 and repairing the damaged equipment and building, Wacker has restarted production at its U.S. polysilicon plant near Charleston, Tennessee.
A 24-inch piston, which had replaced the original 20-inch head piston of a hydrogen compressor in a revamp, caused the explosion. Wacker consequently announced it would return to the original compressor design.
At the reopening ceremony on May 4, the chairman of the company’s supervisory board, Peter-Alexander Wacker, apologized “for any confusion or anxiety the incident may have caused.” He stressed “our aspiration of being a responsible and fully transparent corporate citizen – despite some opposite comments I read on social media.”
Although high duties have been imposed on polysilicon imports from the U.S. into China, the largest polysilicon market worldwide, Chairman Wacker reaffirmed that “Charleston definitely is and will remain a cornerstone of our global growth strategy. This site provides us with the necessary capacity to meet increasing demand for our polysilicon in the years ahead.”
Get more information ...
- on the background and ranking of the world’s top ten producers: polysilicon manufacturers
- on the Siemens process, FBR technology and UMG silicon: polysilicon production processes
- on the application of polysilicon in semiconductors and solar cells: polysilicon uses
- on the size, shares and trends of the market and China’s role: polysilicon market analysis
- on the current polysilicon spot price, charts, price forecast and history: polysilicon price trend
Gain in-depth insight – with the Polysilicon Market Outlook 2024
- Benefit from 76 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 metallurgical-grade silicon)
- Obtain comprehensive data on production volumes and capacities of 42 solar-grade and electronic-grade polysilicon plants from 2016 through 2024
- Gain insight into decisive market trends, based on four sophisticated scenarios of supply and demand through 2024
- Get valuable guidance with cash cost data on 25 solar-grade polysilicon plants and spot price forecasts through 2024
Learn all about the polysilicon market
Comments
Add a comment