Nuying Huang, Taipei; Esther Lam, DIGITIMES [ Thursday 12 June 2008 ]

Gintech Energy announced that it has signed a 6-inch solar wafer contract with the Korea-based Nexolon through 2014.

Under the contract terms, Nexolon will supply Gintech an equivalent solar wafer capacity of 415 peak megawatt (MWp). By adding the new material supply, Gintech has thus revised up its solar cell capacity from 560MWp to 660MWp accordingly.

Gintech will also start construction of a third plant at Hsinchu in the third quarter of 2008, with this fab expected to house a capacity of 840MWp. Construction is expected to take one year.

Nexolon supplies both mono- and multi-crystalline wafers in South Korea. Its capacity is expected to reach 150MWp in 2008 and hit 400MWp in 2009. The company also has business ties with Mosel Vitelic. Industry sources remarked that Nexolon has close ties with polysilicon supplier DC Chemical as well.

In related news, Gintech's global depository receipt (GDR) application has been put on hold as the company did not provide sufficient information to the Financial Supervisory Commission. Company general manager Ellick Liao said it would provide supplementary information to the authority and that its GDR issue plan would not be affected much.