L R AS Published on Tuesday 29 March 2022 - n° 399 - Categories:the prices
The PV sector is stabilising at a high level
The trend according to PV InfoLink on 23 March:
Silicon :
The price of polysilicon is stable this week. Manufacturers are delivering most of their orders. Average prices for monograde silicon are between 240 and 246 RMB/kg.
Silicon supply remained stable in March, with only slight increases on February levels. Manufacturers have been scheduling inspections and line modifications recently, which has affected monthly production to varying degrees. The new production capacities commissioned at the start of the year are still gradually coming on stream. They will be operating at full capacity by the second quarter.
Ingot mould utilisation rates increase more significantly in the first quarter, leading to higher silicon consumption, which in turn depletes the silicon stocks built up at the start of the year.
The commissioning of new capacity will contribute most to the increase in demand for silicon. By then, the silicon shortage will ease, but oversupply is unlikely.
Wafers :
Mono-Si wafer prices remain stable this week, with no dramatic fluctuations half a month after the last round of wafer price rises. However, recent outbreaks of covid and tighter restrictions in several regions have dealt a blow to efficient delivery and logistics, as ingot mill locations are relatively concentrated.
Prices stand at RMB8.85/piece for 210mm wafers with a thickness of 160 μm, and RMB6.7/piece for the 182mm/165 μm format.
Faced with stubbornly high raw material costs, manufacturers are speeding up the switch to thinner wafers . By the end of the first quarter, 182mm wafers were increasingly being supplied with a thickness of 160 μ m; some manufacturers were even venturing towards 155 μm thickness. At the same time, 210 mm wafers are beginning to move from 160 μm to 155 μm thickness.
Cells
Prices are stable, as panel manufacturers are refusing to increase their prices. Prices for M6 and M10 cells stand at 1.08-1.11 RMB/W and 1.13-1.15 RMB/W respectively. G12 cells saw lower trading volumes this week, with prices at RMB 1.14-1.17/W.
There is less and less demand for the M6 format. The M10 format is gradually becoming the norm
In China, the Covid-19 pandemic is intensifying, disrupting logistics everywhere and making access to platelets increasingly difficult. Cell manufacturers are prepared to reduce usage rates, given the stalled price increases and the possible build-up of stocks in March and April, due to logistical problems and reduced downstream purchasing activity. If the pandemic continues, the cell and panel sectors will continue to trade against a backdrop of polysilicon shortages. However, cell prices are likely to hold up, as panel manufacturers cannot accept higher prices.
Panels :
Panel manufacturers continue to revise their prices for the second quarter, planning to increase them by 0.01-0.02 RMB/W. Few orders are being delivered this week, due to higher prices, the limited purchasing capacity of end-users and the logistical bottleneck caused by the pandemic, which is making it difficult for end-users to access panels.
Sales prices for glass-foil panels over 500W rose slightly to RMB1.87-1.93/W for distributed projects and held steady at RMB1.81-1.85/W for large power plants, for which orders had been signed previously. However, order volumes in March were low.
In Europe, glass-foil panels over 500 W are being delivered at $0.265-0.275/W this month, hitting a record high last week as the euro weakened. Delivery prices stop rising this week, subject to hesitant acceptance by end users. Further rises could disrupt demand in April.
US prices are holding steady at $0.32-0.35/W (FOB). End-users remain cautious, given the political uncertainties.
https://www.infolink-group.com/en/solar/spot-price/2022-0323-PV-spot-price
PV InfoLink of 23 March 2022
