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Wacker will build polysilicon plant in Tennessee

Feb. 27, 2009 – The German company Wacker Chemie AG has chosen Charleston, Tennessee, as the site of a $1 billion plant for the manufacture of polycrystalline silicon. The material is used in the manufacture of electronics and solar panels.

The investment will create approximately 500 direct jobs in the first phase of operations. Construction is expected to employ more than 1,000 workers over the next three years, and there is a potential for future expansion at the site. Silicon production is a global strategic-growth industry.

“We expect polysilicon demand from the solar and semiconductor industries to further increase in coming years,” said Rudolf Staudigl, President and CEO of Wacker Chemie AG. “Purchasing the land is an essential prerequisite to quickly build up additional production capacities outside the euro zone in line with the projected market trends and growth in demand.”

The Charleston plant in Bradley County, near Cleveland, is the first U.S. polysilicon manufacturing plant for Wacker, based in Munich. It chose the site for several reasons, according to a company press release. “The size of the site, availability of reliable power from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), over-the-fence supply of chlorine from the adjacent OLIN Corporation facility, and excellent transportation infrastructure made this an attractive site location.”

Wacker is noted for its emphasis on corporate responsibility in economic, environmental, and social issues.

Economic development partners on the project included the State of Tennessee, Cleveland Utilities, Volunteer Electric Cooperative, Bradley/Cleveland Industrial Development Board, Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Industrial Development Association, Appalachian Regional Commission, and TVA.

Read the Wacker press release.