United Solar Starts Polysilicon Production in Oman

 Solar manufacturer United Solar has launched a polysilicon manufacturing facility in Oman, adding 100,000 metric tons of annual production capacity. Located in the Sohar Free Zone, United said the project is the Middle East’s largest polysilicon manufacturing facility. Once fully ramped up, it is expected to support the production of the equivalent of 40GW of solar modules annually. The milestone follows the closure of a massive debt financing package in mid-January totaling over $900 million, split between a $480 million facility led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and over $400 million from local commercial banks. The project’s largest shareholder, Future Fund Oman, has increased its stake to approximately $260 million. “The project is not only a key part of the Middle East PV value chain, but also a new connection point linking PV supply chains across Europe, Africa and Asia,” according to China-based Shuangliang Hydrogen, which said it supplied four green power intelligent hydrogen production systems to the facility.