Chinese PV quartz crucible equipment supplier Ojing Technology has entered a long-term purchase agreement for high-purity quartz (HPQ) sand with US-based Sibelco North America. It says the $350 million deal is aimed to ensure a stable supply of raw materials for its business.
Headquartered in Inner Mongolia, Ojing is in the business of supplying its quartz crucibles for the production of monocrystalline silicon rods and wafers. A crucible is used to melt the polysilicon in ingot pulling furnaces. It is one of the most important cost drivers of the ingot growing process.
Product pricing and quantity to be delivered have not been disclosed.
Ojing says this is a daily operating long-term purchase agreement for the 2 parties, it announced in a stock exchange filing.
It calls Sibelco one of the few companies globally that can supply HPQ sand in batches, which accords it 'better ability to fulfill contracts.' Sibelco mines, processes and supplies industrial minerals globally, with a focus primarily on silica, clays, feldspathics and olivine.
Sibelco mines IOTA HPQ at 2 pure iron ore bodies at Spruce Pine in North Carolina. It had earlier announced plans to double the installed capacity of this facility by 2025 with a $200 million investment.
Having signed long-term sales agreements with its solar PV customers, the American company plans to undertake expansion 2 of the facility with an investment of $500 million. Expansion 2 is likely to be executed between 2024 and 2027.
Sibelco says it also provides low iron sand and dolomite to make the glass cover of solar panels to help increase its light transmission.