Wacker To Build Polysilicon In U.S.

Germany's Wacker Chemie plans to build a $1 billion polysilicon plant in Cleveland, Tenn. The company hasn't determined the plant's size, but it has already spent $20 million for 550 acres of land. Wacker says it chose the location largely because of access to electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority at half the price it pays in Germany, where the firm now makes polysilicon. The company will also get chlorine from a nearby Olin plant. "We expect polysilicon demand from the solar and semiconductor industries to further increase in coming years," CEO Rudolf Staudigl says. The plant is the second large polysilicon facility that has been announced for Tennessee in recent months. Hemlock Semiconductor is planning a $1.2 billion plant in Clarksville, Tenn., that will have an annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons.