Friday, November 14, 2008

Spot market price of 6-inch solar-grade wafers fall to US$9

Nuying Huang, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 12 November 2008]

The price level of a 6-inch solar-grade silicon wafer in the spot market stands at US$9 currently, dropping by 10-14.3% from US$10-10.5 quoted in October 2008, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

The price drop is mainly because the global demand for solar cells has turned slack for the time being since Spain's incentive program (Royal Decree 661/2007) expired at the end of September 2008, the sources pointed out. Before the end of September 2008, spot market quotes for such wafers had once climbed to US$11-12.5, the sources indicated.

Several small makers of 6-inch solar-grade silicon wafers in China have offered prices of lower than US$9 in the spot market, but the product quality may be an issue, the sources noted.

As US$9 is still higher than but close to existing contract prices of 6-inch solar-grade silicon wafers, Taiwan-based makers of crystalline silicon solar cells may ask for re-negotiation of such contract prices if spot market prices further slip, the sources pointed out.

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