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Aurubis to close CIS factory

Europe’s biggest copper refiner and recycler, Aurubis AG, is taking a step back from its solar activities. As such, CIS Solartechnik GmbH will close down by the end of the year.

Aurubis is Europe's biggest copper refiner and recycler. Image: Aurubis.

Under a joint venture with Cordes & Graefe, Aurubis has spent more than ten years developing a solar cell based on copper, indium and selenium (CIS). But now, just as the pilot factory has started producing its first commercial cells, the company has stopped investment.

"We had the intention to build a 30 megawatt factory," Michaela Hessling, spokeswoman for Aurubis said. "But now as markets have grown so much and prices came down, a size like that doesn’t make sense anymore."

Although the CIS cell concept is ready to be realized, no external investor has been found to continue the activities, Miss Hessling admits. And Aurubis and its partners have no intention of investing more capital into the solar activities. "This is," as she states, "not our core business."

Consequently, the partners will close the factory by the end of the year.