RESiLICON’s planned polysilicon facility in Groningen has been designated a strategic project under the NZIA
The project aims to strengthen Europe’s supply chains by increasing local production of ultra-pure polysilicon and reducing reliance on imports from China
The facility is expected to support renewable energy targets, create skilled jobs, and improve access to critical materials for the solar, battery, and semiconductor industries
The Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate in the Netherlands has designated RESiLICON’s planned renewable-powered polysilicon facility with 13 GW targeted capacity, in Farmsum, Groningen, as a strategic project under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).
The ministry said the project aligns with the EU’s goals of expanding net-zero technologies, strengthening regional supply chains, and creating skilled jobs. Securing a strategic tag under NZIA enjoys national priority status, facilitating ‘rapid administrative treatment and faster permitting’.
RESiLICON aims to produce polysilicon and silane in Europe using renewable energy and greener raw materials. The company has partnered with Dutch research institutions such as TNO to co-develop next-generation manufacturing technologies, including advanced wafer production. It has completed the feasibility study and is now entering the basic engineering phase.
The Farmsum fab will house an energy-efficient polysilicon production line with a capacity of 26 kton or 13 GW, turning metallurgical-grade silicon into ultra-pure poly-Si using the Siemens process. It claims the N11-grade purity will enable the production of ingots and wafers for the semiconductor industry and for high-performance solar cells and panels, including advanced heterojunction (HJT) and TOPCon technologies.
RESiLICON says it has obtained exclusive rights in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to use Advanced Material Systems (AMS) technology, which can reduce energy use in polysilicon production by up to 30%. The technology has already been implemented in South Korea and India.
Currently, more than 85% of global polysilicon production is concentrated in China, raising risks for Europe’s critical value chains. Europe has little polysilicon production capacity of its own. Germany's Wacker Chemie operates a polysilicon plant, but demand for solar-grade polysilicon has not been strong enough, leading the company to pivot to the semiconductor industry (see Wacker Chemie Sales Fall 4% In 2025; Announces 1,500 Job Cuts).
The Groningen facility, said RESiLICON, is designed to be highly energy-efficient and is expected to support the EU’s renewable energy targets while improving access to locally produced, high-quality materials for downstream industries and lowering the region’s reliance on foreign supply chains.
