August 08, 2008
Unique technologies in solar power engineering are being developed in Irkutsk Oblast
The only in Russia factory producing polycrystalline silicon (used for making solar power station elements, panels transforming solar energy into electricity) is about to reach its planned production capacity. The innovative factory of Nitol Solar is based at Usoliekhimprom and Usoliesibirsky Silikon enterprises located in the town of Usolie Sibirskoye. The construction of the new plant started in 2004, in 2006 production of intermediary materials started, and in the spring of 2008 first samples of polycrystalline silicon were manufactured. An independent laboratory confirmed their correspondence to high standards. The total sum of investment into this project is $ 600 million, out of which $ 300 million have already been invested.
Nitol Solar has already signed contracts on polysilicon supplies for up to 7 years with the world leaders in Solar Engineering (Suntech Power, Trina Solar, Evergreen Solar, and Motech Industries), the company’s director Dmitry Kotenko said at the press conference. The total sum of the contracts makes up $ 1.66 billion, out of which $ 160 million have already been received by Nitol Solar as prepayment. According to Kotenko, this is an unprecedented case for this industry. The products of the Usolie plant will be exported to Europe, America, and Asia.
Nitol Solar chose Usoliekhimprom factory as its base for developing innovative technologies because it is a modern chemical factory, said Dmitry Kotenko. As well, Nitol Solar sees Irkutsk Oblast as a promising arena for solar engineering development. In 2009 the Nitol Solar holding is planning to launch production of single-crystal wafers which are used to make solar panels.
According to our forecasts, in 4 years solar engineering technologies will become a competitive industry in Russia and will compete with traditional energetic industries, said Dmitry Kotenko. As the level of solar radiation in Irkutsk Oblast is quite high and can be compared with that of south of Italy and France it is very perspective not just to produce the material but also to generate solar energy right here. It must also be considered that solar power stations are the cleanest way of generating energy.
In 2009 the Usolie polysilicon plant will reach the capacity of 3700 tons per year, according to plans of Nitol Solar. Several hundred of workplaces will be created. In the near future the holding is planning to conclude an agreement on cooperation with Irkutsk Oblast administration.
The economic development of the region is impossible without some kind of innovative breakthroughs, and for this reason Irkutsk Oblast is interested in enterprises of this kind, said director of Investment Development Department of Irkutsk Oblast Andrei Putsik. The launch of the new enterprise brought 55.7 billion rubles to the region's budget and 700 million rubles to the Usolie Sibirskoye budget within the the first half of 2008.
Andrei Putsik also said that the polycrystalline silicon production will be presented at the 5th Baikal Economic Forum as an example of industrial high tech in the Irkutsk Oblast economy. Nitol Solar will take an active part in the Plenary Sessions and Round Tables. We will speak about an absolutely new industry in Russia, said Dmitry Kotenko. And we have planned negotiations with our business partners at the Forum, he added. At the ‘Siberia and the Far East: Megaprojects and Programs’ Exhibition a display on Russian solar power technologies center will be presented.
