Due to the growing demand and limited supply of polysilicon, China has seen a surge in investments in recent years. At the recent China Silicon Materials Research and Silicon Industry Development Engineering Technology Forum held in Xi'an, leading scientists and experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences emphasized that the country's silicon material industry must be developed with caution and strategic planning. They warned that rushing into large-scale production without mastering core technologies could lead to dependency on foreign suppliers, which would be difficult to escape.
Polysilicon is a crucial component in the silicon product supply chain, serving as the primary raw material for silicon wafers and solar cells. In 2005, global production reached 30,200 tons, dominated by seven major companies in the U.S., Japan, and Germany. Meanwhile, China had only four polysilicon production lines, with an output of less than 300 tons that year. The domestic industry was small in scale, with low-quality products, high energy consumption, and elevated costs—making it entirely reliant on imports.
With the rapid expansion of the information technology and solar energy sectors, global demand for polysilicon has surged, causing shortages and sharp price increases. In 2005, China’s demand stood at 3,800 tons, but domestic production was below 300 tons, forcing heavy reliance on imports. As a result, the price of imported polysilicon in China rose from $20 per kg three years ago to over $200 per kg today.
This rising demand has triggered a wave of investment in polysilicon projects across China. In May of this year, the largest high-purity polysilicon project in Asia began construction in Qujing, Yunnan. The first phase will produce 3,000 tons annually, with a target of reaching 10,000 tons within three years. Similar projects are being planned or constructed in provinces such as Sichuan, Henan, Liaoning, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong. Experts predict that these efforts may help alleviate China’s polysilicon shortage by 2010.
However, despite the promising outlook, experts caution that the polysilicon industry involves high capital investment, significant energy use, and long payback periods. It is also heavily controlled by foreign entities. Therefore, new projects must be approached carefully. The key to long-term success lies in breaking foreign technological monopolies and developing independent, high-value technologies. Without this, China risks falling into another cycle of inefficient and redundant construction.
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