REC closing Polysilicon plant in WA while prices are expected to rise?

According to their headquarters, Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC) will reduce their production in  Moses Lake, WA by 2,400MT this year. The decision comes after the realization that the cost reductions that has been achieved over the past quarters have not been enough to produce at a cost lower than the current market prices for Polysilicon.

Copyright Warut Roonguthai

At the same time Bernreuter Research issued a forecast that growing PV installations worldwide will drive spot prices up to US$25/kg by the end of 2013.
It remains to be seen if the market growth in Japan, China and the US will be as big as projected (between 35 and 37GW) and if that level of consumption will be sufficient to hit raw material prices. With the current level of inventory in the industry, the effects most likely won't be noticeable until late in this year.

The Chinese government is on track spurring that growth with a plan to add 10GW of solar power capacity to their domestic energy mix that was published today. This switch from subsidizing production to subsidizing markets has set the stocks of Chinese Solar Manufacturers on a rally, with the likes of Suntech, Trina and Yingli closing between 2% and 13% higher today. The possibility of that growth reaching U.S. solar manufacturing besides a possible price increase for panels is close to zero as U.S. exports to China remain on the same nonexistent levels.