China’s Sunpower Group picks up $12.5 million polysilicon equipment order

China’s Sunpower Group announced that, through its subsidiary Jiangsu Sunpower Pressure Vessels Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd, it has secured a CNY 80 million contract to provide polysilicon manufacturing equipment to Xinte Energy, a subsidiary of TBEA Co Ltd, and the world’s fourth largest polysilicon manufacturer, according to figures provided by IHS Markit.

The group will supply fluidized bed reactor and heat exchange equipment for Xinte’s planned expansions to its China-based polysilicon production. The equipment is scheduled for delivery later this year. According to Sunpower Group Ltd, it will be delivered in time to show positive impact on its 2018 financial results.

“This contract validates our technological and manufacturing capability, and we are confident that this will be a win-win partnership. We look forward to more collaborations with TBEA in the near future,” said Sunpower Group Executive Chairman, Guo Hongxin. “We secured contracts worth RMB 500 million with GCL and other polysilicon companies last year, which further strengthens our leading position in the polysilicon industry.”

With several major capacity expansions currently in progress, China’s polysilicon capacity is expected to grow from 319,000 metric tonnes (mt) at the end of 2017, to 450,000 mt by the end of 2018, according to figures provided to pv magazine by Bernreuter Research.