China’s metal silicon industry has developed rapidly in recent years, especially driven by the photovoltaic industry. Silicon metal China demand has continued to grow. In the first half of 2022, China’s silicon metal (industrial silicon) output reached 1.436 million tons, an increase of 26.9%. This data includes metallurgical grade silicon metal and chemical grade silicon metal. At the same time, domestic consumption also increased by 24.4%, showing strong market demand.
According to the latest market analysis, China’s silicon metal production in the first half of 2022 increased 26.9% comparing to 2021. This growth was mainly because of the demand from the photovoltaic industry. The domestic consumption reaching 1.092 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 24.4%. It is expectable that in the next 5 to 10 years, the market for silicon will continue to maintain this growth momentum. As China promotes green energy transformation globally, the photovoltaic industry will continue to drive demand for metallic silicon.
Industrial Competition and Market Structure
The major players in the Chinese silicon metal market include Wynca, BlueStar Silicon Material, Globe Specialty Metals, Liaoning Shuangyi Silicon, Anyang Highrise Metal Material, GS Energy, Ferroatlantica, RW Silicium, Elkem, Simcoa, Wacker, Yunnan Yongchang Silicon, Rima Group, UC RUSAL et al. These companies have their own situations and competitive advantages in terms of product features, specifications, prices, sales volumes, sales revenue and market share.
In terms of technology, Silicon Metal Producers are making continuous progress and improving smelting technology to increase production efficiency. At the same time, we are also paying attention to environmental protection and sustainable development issues. The carbon emission issue during the industrial silicon smelting process is receiving more and more attention. And future technological development will pay more attention to environmental protection.
Production Distribution of Silicon Metal China
In terms of geographical distribution, Silicon metal manufacturers in China are mainly concentrated in Yunnan, Xinjiang, Sichuan and other places. These areas have significant regional characteristics in the production of metallic silicon, and their output accounts for an important proportion of the country. Fujian, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Chongqing also are import production areas of silicon metal.
in conclusion
To sum up, China’s silicon metal industry has shown positive development trends in terms of output, consumption and technological innovation. As domestic and foreign demand continues to grow, especially driven by the photovoltaic field, the metal silicon industry is expected to maintain this rapid development trend in the coming period. At the same time, technological innovation and increased environmental awareness will be important driving forces for industry development.