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Thanks to the effect of the facility installation rush before the June 30 deadline, demand has picked up, though at slower-than-expectation rate, in the wake of the long holiday in early April. Prices of multi-si wafers have stabilized this week, when prices of multi-si modules still dropped slightly. Further price decline will be limited, given the expectation for a rush of demand. Mainstream price of first-tier suppliers has steadied at RMB 110/kg, which, though, is expected to experience a new round of decline from mid-May, following subsidence of the June 30 installation rush.
The price slide of multi-si wafers after the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday has finally come to a stop. Thanks to rosier market outlook, quotes for ultra high-performance multi-si wafers have stabilized, with some dealings carried out at around US$0.60/pc this week, when prices of common high-performance multi-si wafers still dipped by RMB 0.02-0.05/pc, or US$0.002-0.005/pc.
With gradual upturn in demand, quotes for multi-si cells remained flat, as most suppliers have been unwilling to cut quotes. Trend for SNEC prices will become clear soon. Driven by June 30 installation rush, prices will peak at early May. In the wake of reduction of equipment utilization rate by some Taiwanese suppliers, quotes increased slightly this week. Due to limited spot supply, quotes are being made on the volume of supply in early May. Mono-si demand has remained robust. With demand favoring PERC products amid the June 60 rush, Taiwan-made mono-si PERC prices rose slightly, at around US$0.005-0.008/pc, a trend which may continue until mid-May.
With module prices having become almost uniform worldwide, prices of mono-si modules remain relatively high, with average prices dipping only by US$0.001/w, thanks to insufficient supply of wafers. Should demand for mono-si modules pick up further amid the June 30 installation rush, their prices may rise slightly, along with price hike of mono-si PERC. Multi-si module has yet to benefit from the June 30 installation rush, as its price slid by around US$0.004'w this week, underscoring sufficient inventory. However, its price may pick up, should orders flow in after SNEC fair.
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