September 14, 2006 – Renewable Energy Corp. (REC) has broken ground on a new granular solar-grade polysilicon manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, WA, adjacent to an existing site, to roughly double production to 13,000 metric tons.
Investment in expanding the facility is expected to total $600 million and create 100 new jobs; mechanical completion is scheduled for 1Q08, with production ramp-up by 3Q08.
REC, which claims to be the polysilicon source for 20%-25% of the world’s solar cells, says that over the plant’s projected lifetime (25-30 years) it will provide electricity to some two million homes.