Solargiga to make mono-Si ingots and wafers in Qujing

China-based Solargiga Energy Holdings Ltd (HKG:0757) will invest CNY 350 million (USD 53.2m/EUR 44.8m) in new monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si) ingot and wafer capacity in Yunnan’s Qujing City.

This first phase of an expansion project will boost Solargiga’s production capacity by 3,000 tonnes for ingots and by 122 million slices for wafer, which translates into 600 MW of solar module capacity. Mass production is to start in the second quarter of 2018.

The company said it is adding capacity because of increased market demand for mono-Si ingot and wafers. It selected Yunnan Qujing as local power costs are much lower, by over 50%, than at its major production plants, it can source polysilicon locally, thus cutting raw material transportation expenses, and also because it has the support of the local government such as for securing land, warehouses and factory facilities, and other activities.

Solargiga said it will also be expanding its downstream photovoltaic (PV) module capacity. In the first half of next year, thanks to the Qujing project, it expects to reach mono-Si ingot and wafer capacity of 1.8 GW each. PV module production is planned to jump to 2 GW from the 1.2 GW in mid-2017.

The company is keeping cell manufacturing at 350 MW. It has long-term strategic partnerships with solar cell-focused manufacturers to which it supplies wafers and from which it then buys cells for its own modules.

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