LDK Solar Co Ltd on Tuesday broke ground on a new, 30,000 metric ton polysilicon manufacturing facility in China that will sharply increase the company’s annual output of the solar industry’s key raw material.
In a statement, LDK said the factory would bring its annual polysilicon production capacity to 55,000 MT by the end of 2013. That’s up from the annual capacity of 25,000 MT the company will reach in the middle of next year.
The new facility is located in Honhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, and is part of a plan to establish a renewable energy manufacturing hub in that region.
LDK, which makes solar wafers, cells and modules, has been ramping up its production of polysilicon aggressively in recent years. It aims to be one of the largest polysilicon producers in the world.
The company has said it plans to spin off its polysilicon business to raise cash to help pay down debt, but has given no clues as to the timing of such a move.
