centrotherm selected for large-scale polysilicon project in Saudi Arabia

GERMANY: centrotherm SiTec GmbH, a 100 percent subsidiary of centrotherm photovoltaics, has signed a contract for the basic engineering and the technology concept for a polysilicon factory with IDEA Polysilicon Company (IPC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The factory with an annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes will be situated in the Saudi Arabian city of Yanbu.

All relevant ministries and raw material suppliers, such as the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Aramco, the Royal Commission, National Industrial Clusters, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, King AbdulAziz City for Science and Technology, King Abdullah Center for Renewable Energy, and King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center have been invited to the signing ceremony.

“We are delighted to have been able to attract a renowned partner such as centrotherm with such expertise along the solar value chain for our basic engineering and technology concept,” said Marwan Al Ghurair, CEO of IDEA Polysilicon Co.

The criteria for the selection of centrotherm as partner for IPC were besides the supply of competitive polysilicon technology and equipment also the subsequent extension opportunity along the solar value chain up to the module. This includes, for example, the production of metallurgical silicon and the manufacturing of ingots and wafers. This will lead to an increase in domestic production and the creation of new jobs.

The Arab region is an interesting potential growth market for centrotherm photovoltaics, the world’s leading technology and equipment supplier in the solar industry, who do more than 90% of their turnover outside of Germany. “There is tremendous potential for solar energy in Saudi Arabia and the other states of the MENA region, which enjoy a lot of sunshine, as solar power is extremely cost effective compared with other energy sources,” said Robert M. Hartung, CEO and management board chairman of centrotherm photovoltaics AG.