Chinese PV Industry Brief: Polysilicon prices keep rising, NEA says newly deployed PV reached 5.33 GW in Q1

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There was a differing response from the major solar wafer manufacturers this week, after the polysilicon price rose to RMB145-150/kg (US$22.36-23.13). Longi set a May price of RMB4.86 per piece (US$0.75) for its p-type M10 (182mm) wafers and RMB4 for the M6 (166mm) size. The price for the p-type M2 (158.75mm) prodyct was set at RMB3.90 per piece. Zhonghuan Semiconductor raised the prices of all its wafers. The cost of its M6 wafer rose 30 fen – 7.5% – to RMB4.28 per piece, and M2 products rose in price from RMB3.81 to RMB4.01. Zhonghuan's M12 (210mm) wafer price increased from RMB6.33 to RMB6.53. All the products mentioned have a thickness of 175um.

China's largest solar cell maker, Tongwei, released its May prices on Wednesday, with its polycrystalline 157 cell type becoming 3 fen per watt more expensive, at RMB0.73 (US$0.11) and other products unchanged. The monocrystalline PERC 158.75 type remains priced at RMB0.96 per watt, the mono PERC 166 type RMB0.89 per watt, and the mono PERC 210 type RMB0.91.

Longi has won a tender to supply the modules for a 100 MW agrivoltaic project held by the Hubei Energy Group. The project is planned in Xinglong county. The first panel shipments will be made no later than July and all the modules will be delivered by October.

China's National Energy Administration (NEA) today revealed the nation added 5.33 GW of solar generation capacity in the first three months of the year, to take the national total to 258.5 GW. Commercial. industrial and residential solar supplied 2.81 GW of the January-to-March additions, with the balance from utility scale solar parks. Shandong province again took top spot, with a 1.05 GW share of the quarterly total. The first-quarter figure announced by the NEA undershot the 5.53 estimate made by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association and reported in the brief last week.

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Cross-defaulting polysilicon manufacturer GCL-Poly yesterday announced it had sold off a further 127 MW of its solar project capacity to two state-owned enterprises, to raise RMB355 million (US$54.8 million) to pay down debts as well as removing RMB464 million (US$71.6 million) of liabilities from its books. The company, and its heavily-indebted GCL New Energy solar project operation, sold off four solar plants to Guangdong Jinyuan New Energy Co Ltd and State Power Investment Corp Guizhou Jinyuan Weining Energy Co Ltd, at a book loss of RMB65.2 million (US$10 million). GCL-Poly’s shares are currently suspended on the Hong Kong exchange as it has been unable to publish its 2020 annual results. The company is undergoing a debt restructure.

Solar manufacturer Solargiga on Friday announced it had acquired a controlling stake in state-owned PV tech and energy storage manufacturer Jiangsu Yueyang Photovoltaic Technology Co Ltd, following a RMB100 million capital injection into the business in November. Solargiga subsidiary Jinzhou Yangguang spent RMB24.2 million on a 17.8% stake in the business, which is owned by Jianhu county, and that acquisition, in conjunction with the capital commitment, ensured Solargiga holds a 65% controlling stake in Jiangsu Yueyang.

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