Wacker Building $1.6 Billion U.S. Silicon Plant to Target Solar Customers

[Fledermaus]

Wacker Chemie AG (WCH), a German chemicals maker, began construction on 1.1 billion-euro ($1.6 billion) solar polysilicon plant in Tennessee.

The plant in Cleveland, Tennessee will have an annual output capacity of 15,000 metric tons and is expected to be complete in late 2013, Munich-based Wacker said today in a statement.

Almost all of the output of the plant has been contractually secured for 2014. Wacker manufactured more than 30,000 metric tons of polysilicon in 2010 and is also expanding its Nuenchritz and Burghausen plants in Germany.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-08/wacker-building-1-6-billion-u-s-silicon-plant-to-target-solar-customers.html

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. For every dollar's worth of solar energy produced here, one dollar will not be going

to pay for drastically inflated foreign oil. At the same time if the solar apparatus is made in the U.S., it's money that isn't going to purchase foreign widgets. Going solar is a win win for those who make it and those who purchase it.

[panader0]

2. Yep

Too bad it has to be a foreign company though.........

[silverweb]

3. It will mean some U.S. jobs, though.

Both for the construction of the plant and for subsequent operations. :)