HPQ Silicon’s plan to launch integrated PV production moves forward

Canada-based silicon mining company and vertically integrated producer of solar grade silicon metal and polysilicon, HQP Silicon Resources has received financial backing totaling CA$1.9 million (around US$1.4 million) from the government of Canada’s French-speaking province of Quebec, where it is headquartered.

The company said it will use the funds to finance the installation of a pilot production to transform quartz into silicon metal with a capacity of 50 MT. The production equipment will be installed at the facility of PyroGenesis Canada (PYR) in Montreal, at a cost of around CA$8.9 million (approximately US$6.8 million).

HPQ Silicon Resources has signed a partnership agreement with PYR to develop a new method for manufacturing high-purity silicon metal from PUREVAP technology. PYR will be responsible for the design, manufacture, assembly and optimization of the operating parameters of the pilot equipment.

“The silicon metal market for the production of solar panels has great potential, and I am delighted that this project is emerging in the Montreal area,” said Dominique Anglade, which is Quebec’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister responsible for the Digital Agenda.

HQP Silicon is planning to to become a vertically integrated producer of diversified high purity, solar grade silicon (SoG Si) and a manufacturer of multi and mono-crystalline solar cells, both P- and N-type. Its production will rely on its own metallurgical PUREVAP Quartz Reduction Reactors (QRR) process, which PYR is developing for HPQ.

The process, used to manufacture entirely monocrystalline Czochralski (“Cz”) ingots, is based on a plasma technology developed by PYR. HPQ Silicon believes it will be able to produce ingots at lower costs compared to those of competing process technologies, such as the Siemens chemical process.