Xinte planning 200,000-ton polysilicon plant in Inner Mongolia

Xinjiang-based polysilicon manufacturer Xinte Energy and its parent company TBEA have announced plans to build a new plant with a total production capacity of 200,000 metric tons (MT) in Baotou, Inner Mongolia. On February 8, Xinte signed an investment framework agreement for the project with the municipal government of Baotou and the regional government of the Tumd Right Banner.

According to Xinte and TBEA, the first phase will comprise an annual polysilicon production capacity of 100,000 MT and also 5 GW of wind and solar power plants in the region. The investment will amount to approx. CNY8 billion (US$1.24 billion).

In the second phase, which depends on the market development, Xinte is planning to add another 100,000 MT of polysilicon capacity and an additional 5 GW of wind and solar power plants; moreover, the company intends to integrate backward with a 200,000 MT silicon metal smelter to provide the feedstock for polysilicon.

Xinte says it has neither finished the feasibility study nor obtained construction approvals for the first phase of the project, but TBEA’s announcement indicates that construction will still start in 2021 and take 18 to 24 months. Bernreuter Research recently showed that Xinte has to expand its capacity by 2023 at the latest to fulfill its polysilicon sales contracts.

Xinte’s present 80,000 MT plant is located in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang in western China. The company names “resource advantages provided by the regional governments” as reason for choosing the new location in Baotou. Competitor Tongwei is already running a polysilicon plant in the same city.