China’s NEA said that the country added 39.47 GW of new solar capacity between January and February, a 7.49% year-on-year increase. By the end of February, the nation’s total power generation capacity reached 3.4 TW, up 14.5% from a year earlier. Solar capacity grew 42.9% year on year to 930 GW, while wind power expanded 17.6% to 530 GW. Investment in power generation projects by major utilities totaled CNY 75.3 billion ($10.4 billion), a modest 0.2% increase, while investment in grid infrastructure surged 33.5% to CNY 43.6 billion.
The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA) has reported continued price increases for silicon wafers, with the most significant gains in G12R wafers. The average transaction price for n-type G12R monocrystalline wafers (182 mm ×210 mm, 130 μm) rose 1.45% week on week to CNY 1.40 per piece. G12 wafers (210 mm × 210 mm, 150 μm) remained stable at CNY 1.55 per piece, while G10L wafers (182 mm × 183.75 mm, 130 μm) held steady at CNY 1.19 per piece. Leading manufacturers showed strong pricing power for G12R wafers. Industry-wide utilization rates rose to 55% to 58%, up 3-5 percentage points from the previous week. Two major manufacturers raised utilization rates to 56% and 60%, while integrated producers maintained rates between 60% and 80%. Meanwhile, solar cell prices continued to rise due to a shortage of G12R cells, with offers reaching CNY 0.32/W to 0.35/W, up from CNY 0.25/W to 0.27/W. Module prices surged, with distributed solar modules quoted at CNY 0.74/W to 0.76/W, some reaching CNY 0.80/W. G12R wafer prices are expected to exceed forecasts in early April.
State Grid of China has started building the 1,000 kV Datong-Huailai-Tianjin South ultra-high voltage (UHV) AC transmission project. The line will stretch 770 km from Datong in Shanxi province to Tianjin’s Binhai New Area, passing through the Yanshan Mountains and Haihe River basin in Hebei province. The project includes four new substations and the expansion of the Tianjin South substation, adding 18 GVA of transmission capacity. Approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in September 2024, the project is set for completion in June 2027. Once operational, it will transmit 8 GW of wind and solar power from Shanxi and Hebei, providing over 14.6 TWh of clean electricity, replacing 4.45 million tons of coal and reducing CO2 emissions by 11.81 million tons per year.
Tongwei said that three silicon metal furnaces at its 180,000-ton silicon metal project in Guangyuan, Sichuan province, have successfully started trial production. The facility, backed by a CNY 5.8 billion investment, is expected to reach full operation by May. The project marks Tongwei’s expansion into upstream silicon metal production to secure raw material supply for its polysilicon business. The company also revealed that a second-phase expansion, targeting 200,000 tons of annual capacity, is undergoing environmental approval, with a final investment decision pending market conditions and resource availability.
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