| Category | |
|---|---|
| Author | InfoLink |
| Updated | August 04, 2021 |
Polysilicon
Polysilicon saw order requests and demand markedly rebound this week, as Tier-1 wafer manufacturers gradually resumed purchasing. Previous slow price declines leveled out, with trading prices mostly sitting at RMB 195-206/kg, averaging at around RMB 202/kg. As demand warmed up, polysilicon prices are expected to stabilize in the second half of this month, despite consistent low utilization rates of Tier-1 wafer manufacturers. Equipment maintenance in August had no significant impacts.
Wafer
Presently, the two leading mono-Si wafer manufacturers kept utilization rates low and prices unchanged. However, other manufacturers, in anticipation of increasing end user demand at the end of the month and relatively low supply that will cause structural shortages of M6 and M10 wafers, set to raise prices. By far, the market has seen trading prices of few M6 wafer orders go up slightly , while average prices remained at last week’s level. Overall price hikes hinge on inventory draws of cell and module sectors afterwards.
Multi-Si wafer prices plunged below RMB 1.7/piece amid pessimistic market outlook. However, as end user demand picked up somewhat amid a short window period of punitive tariffs in India, trading prices continued rising this week, coming in at around RMB 1.8/piece. Foreign prices were slightly higher than prices in RMB, and thus remained rather steady at previous levels for the time being.
Cell
New orders have not settled completely this week, with mono-Si cell prices saw no marked differences as compared to last week. Prices for 166mm cells with mainstream efficiency averaged temporarily at RMB 0.97-0.98/W, whilst 182mm and 210mm cell prices averaged at RMB 0.98-1/W.
As demand gradually recovers in Q3, cell manufacturers were poised to raise prices this month, with some of them being expected to revise price quotes upwardly by RMB 0.01-0.02/W. 166mm cells may see marginal price increases and slightly short supply, given mild 166mm wafer shortage and smaller cell production volumes. As demand increased, 182mm cells saw better purchase volumes for August, with price quotes being expected to come in at RMB 1-1.02/W amid slightly short supply. 210mm cells, on the other hand, saw slower increases in purchase volumes this month, with prices being subject to wafer price trends.
This week, prices are expected to rise to RMB 3.2-3.3/piece, owing to multi-Si wafer price hikes, installations driven by the end of Indian safeguard duty at the end of July, and the recovering Indian module utilization rates in August.
Module
With cell prices being expected to rise and BOM prices stepping on an upward trend, Tier-2 makers can hardly deliver at previous lower pricings. As a result, orders in the low-price range started to see prices being revised upwardly by RMB 0.02-0.03/W. However, pricings of Tier-1 vertically integrated companies saw no significant changes, averaging at last week’s level. Mainstream makers’ pricings for 166mm glass-backsheet modules sat mostly at RMB 1.74-1.77/W, whilst prices for mono-Si modules with a power output exceeding 500 W sustained at RMB 1.75-1.8/W.
Price differences among manufacturers enlarged. Some Tier-2 manufacturers offered biddings aggressively, with modules with a power output exceeding 500 W being priced at RMB 1.7-1.75/W. Tier-2 makers are expected to revised pricings in the second half of August, amid increasing production costs.
In overseas markets, module prices, previously trimmed down in accordance with prices across the supply chain, slightly decreased, with prices for G1 modules averaging at USD 0.23/W, M6 at USD 0.24-0.245/W, and modules with a power output exceeding 500 W averaging at USD 0.245-0.25/W.
PV InfoLink starts offering FOB prices with tax excluded, as Indian safeguard duty ended at the end of July. Multi-Si module prices sat at USD 0.21-0.23/W; prices for mono-Si modules rated at 445 W came in at USD 0.234-0.24/W, whilst those with a power output exceeding 500 W were priced at USD 0.24-0.255/W.