The Qatar-based polysilicon manufacturer Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) announced it has produced the first batches of polysilicon at its factory in Qatar.
The manufacturing facility, which is located in the industrial hub Ras Laffan Industrial City, close to Qatar’s capitaly Doha, has an annual production capacity of 8,000 MT, although the company has confirmed it will expand the factory’s capacity to 50,000 MT at a later stage.
Furthermore, QSTec said it has installed ground and rooftop PV installations at its RLIC site with a total installed capacity of 1.1 MW.
“The first polysilicon produced from our facility in Qatar represents a major milestone for QSTec and has paved the way for a solar manufacturing base to be established within the region” said QSTec’s Chairman and CEO, Dr. Khalid K. Al Hajri.
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The project was launched by the company in October 2011. At the time, operations at the facility were scheduled to commence in the second half of 2013. The contract to deliver technology and equipment was to German PV production equipment supplier Centrotherm Photovoltaics, while the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was given to Punj Llyod Group that is based in Gurgaon, India.
QSTec acquired a 29% stake in German solar manufacturer SolarWorld AG in early 2014. Later in January 2016, it also secured an 45% interest in centrotherm. The move by QSTec saw the company acquire assets in both PV manufacturing and equipment supply. As a result, GSTec said, QSTec emerged as a “globally integrated solar company”.
QSTec is a joint venture founded by Qatar Solar, a fully owned subsidiary of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, which owns 70% of the company, SolarWorld and the Qatar Development Bank.
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