Tongwei (Yunnan Tongwei) announced that the phase 2 of its high-purity polysilicon project in China’s Yunnan Province formally commenced construction on March 21. Located in Baoshan Industrial Park, the phase 2 of the project is set to have a production capacity of 200,000 tons per year. All in all, the start of the phase 2 marks another significant toward Tongwei’s goal of becoming a leader in the polysilicon section of the PV industry chain.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Yang Jun, secretary of the Baoshan Municipal Party Committee proclaimed the start of the construction. The dignitaries at the event included Bao Jianbin, Deputy Director of the Yunnan Provincial Industry and Information Technology Department; Han Kaizhu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Baoshan Municipal People’s Congress; Zhu Hongchun, Chairman of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference; and other officials from the local government.
Representatives from other agencies under the government of Yunnan and Baoshan’s districts (e.g., Longyang District, Changning County, and Baoshan Industrial Park), as well as representatives from Tongwei, Yongxiang, and Tongwei’s partners in the PV industry, were also present to witness the occasion. They included Duan Zhonghua, member of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of Longyang District party Committee, Fan Xi, member of the Municipal Party Committee; Cheng Dejun, Vice Mayor of Baoshan; Zhang Zhihong, Secretary of the Baoshan Municipal Government; Yang Binbin, Secretary of the Changning County Party Committee; Fan Zhengjian, Deputy Secretary if Changning County Party Committee; Lin Bin, VP of Tongwei Group and GM of Yongxiang Group; Yuan Shihua, CFO of Yunnan Tongwei; and Du Bingsheng Vice GM of Yongxiang Group and GM of Yunnan Tongwei.
Caption: Scene from the groundbreaking ceremony for Yunnan Tongwei’s high-purity polysilicon project
Du Bingsheng, GM of Yunnan Tongwei, stated that his company will focus on raising production and capacity expansion. Furthermore, his team will be committed to Chairman Liu Hanyuan’s principles of “transparent business dealings” and “high-quality projects”. By maintaining high standards and meeting strict requirements, Yunnan Tongwei is expected to serve as an example of a successful technology enterprise. Once the phase 2 of the project is up and running, Yunnan Tongwei’s total polysilicon production capacity will surpass 250,000 tons per year, thereby making the company’s site the world’s largest polysilicon production base.
On behalf of his company, Li Bin, VP of Tongwei Group, expressed his gratitude to all levels of the government of Yunnan for their long-term support. Li pointed out that Yunnan has followed the strategy of prioritizing the protection of its ecology and green economic development. Hence, the province is able to convert its abundant natural resources into huge opportunities for economic growth. Furthermore, Tongwei’s commitment to invest in the province has been boosted by the growth of the local green energy sector. After Tongwei has decided to land the phase 1of this high-purity polysilicon project in Baoshan, it took just 355 days from construction to operation. The phase 2, which now enters the construction phase, will incorporate Yongxiang’s eighth-generation manufacturing process. Hence, the phase 2, according to Li’s words, will be “state of the art”, “reasonable in cost”, “safe and efficient in terms of operation”, etc.
Caption: Leaders from various government departments and representatives from Tongwei and its business partners witness the groundbreaking of the phase 2 of the high-purity polysilicon project
Chen Rui, Mayor of Baoshan, said the development of this project is of great significant as the whole province is determined to implement policies that align with the principles outlined during this year’s sessions of NPC and CPPCC (i.e., the Two Sessions). At the same time, Baoshan is working closely with the Provincial Party Committee to meet the aims of the “3815 Development Strategy”. Chen also noted that the stable operation of the phase serves as a model for private-public partnership in the development of a local industrial sector. Furthermore, with phase 1, Baoshan is leading the province-wide efforts to build the upstream section of an industry chain for silicon materials (e.g., industrial silicon materials, monocrystalline silicon materials, and green silicon materials).
As for the phase 2, Chen said it is the most important item on the 2023 agenda of the provincial government, and agencies at all levels will contribute to create an environment that will enable its smooth completion. This means that the local government will be very “pro-business” in terms of providing support that accelerates the project development schedule, removing bureaucratic barriers, making certain guarantees, and rapidly setting up the basic infrastructure. The phase 2 will be a benchmark in first-class engineering and construction. It will also be a demonstration of “the Boshan speed” and “the Tongwei speed”.
The phase 2 of Yunnan Tongwei’s high-purity polysilicon project is reported to be the world’s first polysilicon production line that reaches 200,000 tons per year in scale. It is also the first polysilicon production line to surpass RMB 10 billion in investment. Presently, Tongwei Group’s total production capacity for high-purity polysilicon has come to around 230,000 tons per year. This amount represents more than 25% of the global production capacity and has made Tongwei the world’s top supplier. Tongwei aims to further raise its production capacity to 350,000 tons per year by the end of this year. According to the company’s long-term plan, the scale of its polysilicon production capacity will reach 800,000-1,000,000 tons per year during the 2024-2026 period. This will allow the company to maintain its leadership in the polysilicon section of the PV industry chain.