Pufin signs deal to acquire Italian SunEdison poly plant

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Dutch cell manufacturer and solar developer Pufin Power has signed a preliminary agreement with U.S. polysilicon manufacturer SunEdison's, Electronic Materials Spa to acquire its closed polysilicon plant in northern Italy.

With the acquisition of the shuttered facility at Merano, in the Bolzano province of Trentino-Alto Adige, Pufin is staking a claim to be one of Europe's premier solar companys.

Merano employs about 160 workers, currently claiming CIGS unemployment

insurance.

Pufin's plans, unveiled to the Ministry of Economic Development in the presence of the Independent Territory of Bolzano as well as the relevant union, are for manufacturing to resume in January with full output restored by June.

The new owner predicts 230 jobs will be created upon full production for an annual output of 4,800 tonnes of silicon for a total of around 600 jobs in the Pufin Group at plants in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and France.

The Merano polysilicon plant, opened after a €250 million investment by SunEdison, will manufacture the raw materials for Pufin's other businesses, notably the Netherlands-based cell manufacturing Solland Solar Cells business at Heerlen.

Pufin Power Group CEO Massimo Pugliese, said: "The takeover of the Merano plant, involved in the production of poly-crystalline silicon, represents for Pufin another step forward in the European solar production strategy.

"Currently, thanks to the anti-dumping policy carried out by the USA against Chinese and Taiwanese producers, and the depreciation of euro against the dollar, important advantages are present for made in Europe products.

"Pufin is taking advantage thanks to the production increase in its facilities, due to the industrial-commercial alliance with an Asian multi-national corporation whose business is direct to the USA market, which represents both the present and future of the solar market."

The MEMC plant in Merano was opened in 1923 thanks to the Montecatini, and started producing silicon in 1961.

In 1976 the current Siemens production process was introduced, with the last investment made in 2010.

Merano is the only plant in Italy that produces poly-crystalline silicon with a

highly-specialized procedure.

The 100,000 sq m plant – with a covered area of 33.000 sq m – boasts 54 Siemens reactors.