Chinese PV Industry Brief: Tongwei, Jolywood raise solar cell prices 

Tongwei raised prices of its 210 mm solar cells for October from CNY 1.30 ($0.18)/W to CNY 1.33/W. It also raised prices of 182 mm cells to CNY 1.33/W and its 166 mm cells to CNY 1.31/W. TOPCon cell producer Jolywood, meanwhile, raised the price of its bifacial 182 mm solar cells to CNY 1.44/W, and the price of its bifacial 210 mm cells to CNY 1.45/W. Given that wafer prices remained unchanged from the preceding week, rising cell prices might indicate cell supply shortages. 

Shuangliang Eco-Energy said this week that it has signed two long-term polysilicon supply orders with TBEA and East Hope. It agreed to buy up to 150,000 metric tons (MT) of polysilicon from TBEA from January 2023 to December 2030, based on a monthly negotiated price. The contract is likely valued at roughly CNY 45.5 billion ($6.4 billion), based on current polysilicon prices from PV InfoLink. East Hope, meanwhile, will sell up to 66,800 MTs polysilicon to Shuangliang to the end of 2026, under a CNY 20.2 billion contract, with prices negotiated on a monthly basis. 

Qinghai province is set to host 7 GW of generating capacity across seven large energy bases, including solar, according to a recent statement by the provincial energy administration. The projects will include four wind-solar power energy bases, each 1 GW in size. The province will also host three 1 GW energy bases combining PV and concentrated solar power (CSP). Longi, State Power Investment Corp. (SPIC), China Energy Engineering Corp. (CEEC), Meike Solar, PowerChina, and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGN) will invest in the projects and oversee their construction. The authorities said that in total, 5.4 GW of PV, 1.2 GW of wind, 400 MW of CSP, and 1 GW/1GWh of annual storage capacity will be built by the end of 2024.

The National Energy Administration (NEA) said that China’s cumulative PV installations surpassed the nation’s total wind power capacity at the end of August. Solar is now the third-largest power source in China, after coal-fired power and hydropower, said the NEA. At the end of August, the country had 1,311.53 GW of cumulative coal-fired power capacity, 403.07 GW of hydropower, 349.9 GW of PV, and 344.5 GW of wind power.

Maxwell said it has signed a sales contract to supply Golden Glass with eight heterojunction (HJT) production lines, with a total capacity of 4.8 GW. Earlier this month, Maxwell sold 12 HJT lines to Huasun, for a total capacity of 7.2 GW. 

Xinte Energy has topped up its eight-year deal to supply polysilicon to Shuangliang Silicon Materials (Baotou) Co. Ltd., from 201,900 tons in July to 351,900 tons for supplies starting in January 2023. It said the 150,000-ton agreement would be worth CNY 45.5 billion, according to the latest poly prices from PV InfoLink. Xinte Energy, which booked CNY 10.4 billion of revenue for the first six months of 2022, can produce 100,000 tons of poly per year at its Xinjiang production base. It expects to bring a new 100,000-ton fab online this year in Inner Mongolia.