Polysilicon projects in Sichuan unaffected by earthquake

Shanghai. May 14. INTERFAX-CHINA - Polysilicon projects in Sichuan Province were unaffected by the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the province on May 12, according to local companies. Several polysilicon projects are either under operation or construction in Sichuan. Polysilicon is the raw material for photovoltaic (PV) products.

An official with Emei Semiconductor Material Factory, located in Sichuan's central city of Emeishan, told Interfax today that its polysilicon production was not affected by the quake. The official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the earthquake's only impact on the company has been transportation delays.

Emeishan City is about 196 kilometers away from Wenchuan County, which was the site of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Emei Semiconductor Material Factory has a polysilicon production line with an annual production capacity of 200 tons, and is China's first 200-ton polysilicon production line.

The official said that the company's other project under construction, located in the city of Leshan and which is close to Emeishan City, was not affected by the earthquake either.

The Leshan project has received investment from Dongfang Electric Corp.(DEC), and has an annual polysilicon production capacity of 1,500 tons. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

An official with Sichuan-based Tongwei Group told Interfax that its1,000-ton polysilicon project, which is being constructed in Leshan City, was also unaffected. This project is expected to be completed in June.

Shanghai-listed Tianwei Baobian Electric Co. Ltd. (TWBB) announced today that Sichuan Xinguang Silicon Science and Technology Co. Ltd., a company in which it the second largest shareholder, was also unaffected by the earthquake.

Sichuan Xinguang Silicon Science and Technology suspended operations for the sake of safety in the wake of the quake, but will resume production as soon as possible.

In addition, TWBB said that the construction of two other polysilicon projects in Leshan City and Xinjin County, each with an annual production capacity of 3,000 tons, were not affected by the quake.