UAE to get US$400m solar-grade polysilicon plant

MBM chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum.

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A $400 million solar-grade polysilicon plant is to be built in the UAE following the formation of MBM Solar Holding Inc. by MBM Holdings. It will be the first upstream plant of its kind in the region.

Locally-produced polysilicon will not only be price-competitive to Chinese imports, but is also expected to cut 18 months from a typical project’s lead time, reports MBM. It also supports the expansion of the UAE’s industrial base with its anticipated development of the downstream sector of the solar energy chain.

It is envisioned that MBM Solar will be forward integrated into the solar value chain, and will also spawn downstream activities in solar manufacturing. The project will further boost employment creation within the UAE.

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FEATURED COMMENT Qatar is also planning to build a polysilicon plant which will be one of the first operational polysilicon plant in the   1 Comments Read more comments »

The plant will have a total capacity of 2,500 tons a year of high-quality polysilicon product. It is expected to start production in early 2012. The project is being funded by MBM Holdings, and will be developed jointly with ERC Private Limited Singapore, which has extensive experience in developing similar plants.

Currently MBM is in negotiations with local authorities for land and power for the project, which will require a 250,000 m² site. A feasibility study has been conducted and the project engineering partners have been identified.

“ERC Singapore is our equity and technology partner given their worldwide networks, technical and commercial expertise, existing management team and their ability to plan and execute a project in record time,” said MBM chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum.

“MBM Solar Holding Inc. will form the anchor for supporting other private sector developers in the solar downstream sector. The plant will be built to accommodate incremental production capacity so as to increase production beyond 2 500 tons a year,” he added.

“The project will be our first major strategic initiative in the renewable sector, and will benefit from the world-class infrastructure available in the UAE,” said ERC director Kassym Abzhanov.