Trina Solar has announced that the company has signed a long-term silicon supply agreement with Nitol Group. Nitol Group, a Russian chemical company based in Moscow, currently produces trichlorosilane and is constructing a polysilicon production facility. Under this five-year agreement, Nitol Group will supply Trina Solar with virgin polysilicon sufficient to produce over 200MW of modules in aggregate. While the delivery of polysilicon will start in 2009, Trina Solar will have the opportunity to purchase polysilicon in 2008 from a pool of unallocated production.
"The cooperation with Nitol will enhance our production capabilities in the coming years and further our expansion goals," said Jifan Gao, Trina Solar's Chairman and CEO. "Trina Solar has a great deal of confidence in the success of Nitol's polysilicon production capabilities, as Nitol has the potential to become one of the top global manufacturers of polysilicon."
"The Nitol team is very pleased to work with Trina Solar as a long-term partner," stated Dmitry Kotenko, Nitol's CEO. "Trina Solar is one of the leaders in the PV industry due to its vertically integrated business model and its experienced management team and we intend to grow our business more rapidly with Trina Solar as a customer."
This long-term silicon supply agreement will enhance Trina Solar's management of raw material supplies and strengthen its position as a leading global PV manufacturer. Prior to this contract, the company had secured over 60% of polysilicon requirements for its 2008 planned production.
