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WACKER and SCHOTT team on multicrystalline silicon wafer production |
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Aug 02, 2007 at 02:03 PM |
 WACKER CHEMIE AG and SCHOTT Solar have announced plans to jointly invest €370 million through 2012 in expanding multicrystalline silicon wafer production at facilities in Jena and Alzenau, Germany for solar cell production that is planned to generate one gigawatt/year by 2012. The joint venture would become one of the world's five largest solar-wafer manufacturers, according to the companies.
"WACKER is the world's second-largest supplier of hyperpure polycrystalline silicon and a pioneer in the manufacture of solar-grade polysilicon," stated Dr. Peter-Alexander Wacker, Wacker Chemie AG's President and CEO. "Our forward integration - with a strong partner - into solar-wafer production is vital to our strategy of creating corporate value in this growth sector. The recently announced expansions of our polysilicon production capacity to more than 22,000 metric tons per year ensure the joint venture's starting material supply."
"Given polysilicon's actual global scarcity, a reliable supply of this raw material is essential to SCHOTT Solar's ambitious growth targets in the photovoltaic sector," stated Prof. Udo Ungeheuer, President and CEO of SCHOTT. "Combined with our current capacity expansions for solar cells and modules in Alzenau and Valasské Mezirící in the Czech Republic, the joint venture will play a decisive role in strengthening SCHOTT Solar's position as one of the world's leading manufacturers of solar-energy components."
WACKER and SCHOTT each will hold a 50 percent equity stake in the production joint venture SCHOTT WACKER Solar GmbH, while in the sales joint venture WACKER will hold 51 percent and SCHOTT 49 percent.
The production joint venture includes SCHOTT's existing facilities in Alzenau for producing solar wafers and those in Jena for producing multicrystalline silicon ingots. SCHOTT WACKER Solar plans to expand the existing production and to set up new facilities for blocking and wafering. The Joint Venture is expected to create approximately 700 new jobs.
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