Wacker to further Expand Polysilicon Production Capacity
New production plant with annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons at Wacker's Nünchriz site
Wacker Chemie AG plans to construct a new polysilicon production plant at its Nünchritz site (Saxony, Germany) with a nominal annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons. The Munich-based chemical company announced this decision. The first batch of polysilicon from this “capacity expansion phase 9” project is scheduled for Q1 2011. The new plant is expected to achieve full capacity by the end of 2011. Wacker has budgeted some €760 million for this project, which should create around 450 new jobs. The company has additionally decided to raise the nominal annual capacity planned for Burghausen’s “expansion phase 8” (currently under construction) from 7,000 to 10,000 metric tons. Thanks to these and other ongoing expansion measures, WACKER’s polysilicon capacity by year-end 2011 will reach 35,500 metric tons annually, compared to today’s 10,000 metric tons.
Output expansion will enable WACKER to meet the accelerating global demand it expects for hyperpure polycrystalline silicon, according to the company. For coming years, WACKER anticipates continued double-digit annual growth in polysilicon demand by the solar-industry. The company likewise expects higher polysilicon demand from the electronics industry.
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