L R AS Published on Sunday 28 March 2021 - n° 356 - Categories:the prices
Prices on 24 March according to PV InfoLink
March 24 prices according to PV InfoLink: Panel prices rise as price increases continue upstream
Silicon:
Silicon manufacturers have yet to announce their prices for April
because of the shortage. They will only be fixed in one or two weeks. Some orders have been placed at RMB 120-127/kg. The selling price has increased to $15-16/kg in overseas markets.
Demand for silicon remains strong as wafer manufacturers are working at full capacity. The situation will get tougher as some major suppliers will start the maintenance period of their furnaces. Prices could rise further.
Wafers:
Production rates remain high. Manufacturers have no stocks. We are waiting for LONGi prices to be published for April. With cell prices struggling to break even, it is unlikely that wafer prices can increase further.
Multicrystalline wafers have become more expensive due to the surge in silicon prices and the recovery in Indian demand. Prices will not be known until next week.
Cells:
Cell prices remained stable. The purchase volume of panel manufacturers has not increased, although some manufacturers have built up stocks of wafers to delay the price increase
If wafer prices rise further, cell manufacturers could reduce production and increase prices to capture the reaction of panel manufacturers. However, the potential for capacity reduction is small. Production is still higher than the demand for panels, which limits the price increase. Price development will depend on wafer prices.
Some panel manufacturers have started to buy M6 cells in large quantities, which has eased the pressure on cell manufacturers' stocks. This week, cell prices remained at the same level as last week, averaging 0.85 RMB/W.
This week, M10 cell prices remain stable at 0.88-0.9 RMB/W and G12 cell prices at 0.89-0.91 RMB/W.
Multi-Si cell prices rose sharply this week to RMB 2.8-3.1/piece, largely due to higher multi-Si wafer prices and the continued decrease in cell supply.
Panels:
As end-user demand was lower than expected in March and April, panel manufacturers' inventories increased after the Lunar New Year. Production rates have been reduced, while silicon and wafer prices continue to rise. Their output fell to 70% in March and April
Panel manufacturers have increased their prices to avoid losses. Currently, M6 monofacial panels and larger format panels are mainly traded at 1.65-1.7 RMB/W and around 1.7 RMB/W respectively.
Orders for panels for the second and third quarter have remained high.
It is not yet known whether the increase in panel prices, which reduces the rate of return on construction, will have an effect on demand volume.
PV InfoLink of 24 March
