Image: Premier Energies

Taiwan’s Sino-American Silicon Products Inc. (SAS) and India’s Premier Energies co-invest in a 2GW solar wafer manufacturing plant in India.

Premier Energies has a 74% stake, with SAS accounting for the other 26%. According to the statement released by the companies, the plant will slice polysilicon ingots into silicon wafers for use in the production of photovoltaic cells and modules. 

Premier Energies is a publicly listed company and a leading player in India’s renewable energy sector with a total manufacturing capacity of 8.4 GW solar cells (including 6.4 GW under construction) and 11.1 GW solar modules (including 5.8 GW under construction).

Chiranjeev Saluja, Premier Energies Managing Director, said the agreement marks the start of the company’s backward integration into solar wafers. “The joint venture will play a pivotal role in strengthening the Make-in-India policy initiative of the Indian government,” Saluja added.

Premier Energies claims to have a current manufacturing capacity of 11.1 GW, including 5.8 GW under construction. In November, it announced a plat to set up an aluminum frame factory and earlier this year, suspended its plans to build a factory in the US.

SAS says its subsidiary company, GlobalWafers Co. Ltd., is the world’s third-largest manufacturer of semiconductor silicon wafers, with expertise in the research, development, and manufacturing of silicon wafers. 

Doris Hsu, Chairperson and CEO of SAP and GlobalWafers, commented that the agreement is an important step for the companies’ future development in India.