Wacker: U.S. polysilicon plant shutdown will take several months

Charleston residents protest against Wacker’s communication policy after hydrogen explosion at its polysilicon plant
Charleston residents protest against Wacker’s communication policy after the hydrogen blast – Image: Katherine Marchand on Twitter

Wacker Chemie AG has issued a second press release on the explosion that occurred at its polysilicon plant near Charleston, Tennessee (USA) on September 7.

According to Wacker, the explosion “was caused by a technical defect prompting a leak of hydrogen which subsequently caught fire (…). As a result, damaged piping leaked chlorosilane (…).” The company expects that it will take several months until the plant is restarted.

Wacker’s communication policy has sparked harsh criticism in the local community.

NEW: Get Your In-depth Report – The Polysilicon Market Outlook 2027

  • 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 45 solar-grade and electronic-grade polysilicon plants from 2020 through 2027
  • Gain insight into decisive market trends, based on four sophisticated scenarios of supply and demand through 2027
  • Get valuable guidance with cash cost data on 30 solar-grade polysilicon plants and spot price forecasts through 2027

Go to the Report

Learn all about the polysilicon market

Go back

Comments

Add a comment

Back to Polysilicon News