L R AS Published on Saturday 14 October 2023 - n° 461 - Categories:the prices, brochures
New all-time low for wafer prices
The price of solar wafers returned to an all-time low following the end of the bank holidays festivities.
The price of M10 mono wafers fell by 10.3% to $0.34/piece, and the price of G12 mono wafers fell by 7.3% to $0.34/piece.
0.4648/piece, says OPIS
According to many observers, the main factors behind the reductions in wafer prices are the fall in downstream demand, the resulting build-up of wafer stocks, and the high rate of capacity utilisation by wafer manufacturers.
Chinese wafer production is estimated to have reached 65 GW in October. This represents an 8% increase on the 60 to 61 GW of wafers produced in September, according to silicon industry data from the China Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Association.
Some 2.4 billion wafers, or around 20 GW, are currently in stock with wafer manufacturers, according to a major player in the industry. This figure is likely to continue to rise rapidly due to the high operating rates of wafer plants.
Based on current silicon prices, the cost of producing M10 mono wafers in Tier 1 facilities is around RMB 2.5 ($0.34)/piece. This means that there is still some scope for a reduction in the price of mono M10 wafers, as currently the average market price is 2.78 RMB/piece, according to one silicon manufacturer.
Wafer sales have also been hampered by the wait-and-see attitude of downstream manufacturers: cell producers have no incentive to produce due to their low profit margins, leading to reduced demand for wafers. Wafer producers may be forced to reduce prices on a weekly basis as demand continues to fall.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/10/13/solar-wafer-prices-hit-record-lows/
PV Magazine of 13 October 2023
