Schott, Wacker in solar wafer venture

Schott, Wacker in solar wafer venture
August 3, 2007

Schott and Wacker announced that they're forming a joint venture to produce multicrystalline silicon wafer for solar cells.The German companies said that by 2012, the joint venture is expected to produce 1 gigawatt of silicon wafer for solar cells, making the new company one of the world's five largest solar-wafer manufacturers.They plan to invest a total of $506.7 million in facilities in Jena and Alzenau, creating at least 700 new jobs. The venture, to be called Schott Wacker Solar, is scheduled to start operations this year."Given polysilicon's actual global scarcity, a reliable supply of this raw material is essential to Schott Solar's ambitious growth targets in the photovoltaic sector," said Udo Ungeheuer, president and CEO of Schott.The joint venture will produce multicrystalline silicon ingots and wafers, the starting material for solar cells.Wacker Chemie's president and CEO, Peter-Alexander Wacker, said "The recently announced expansions of our polysilicon production capacity to more than 22,000 metric tons per year ensure the joint venture's starting material supply." (see Wacker to build new type of polysilicon plant)Schott and Wacker will each hold a 50 percent equity stake in the production side of the joint venture, with Wacker owning 51 percent of the sales business.Schott's existing plants in Alzenau for producing solar wafers and those in Jena for producing multicrystalline silicon ingots will be expanded as part of the venture.The companies said new facilities will be set up for blocking and wafering.Schott, headquartered in Mainz and part of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, has approximately 16,800 employees worldwide.
Munich-based Wacker has about 14,700 employees across the globe.