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Interface News reporter | Ma Yueran

Located south of Guangming Road and north of Liupanshan Road in Yinchuan Economic Development Zone, NingxiaMore than 800 acresIn the plot, there isAn office building shaped like a ship. Behind it are eight blue factories arranged in two rows, responsible for single crystals, square rods, raw material processing and logistics. Their roofs are all covered with photovoltaic panels.

This is TCL Zhonghuan’s (002129.SZ) Crystal Phase VI smart factory located in Yinchuan, Ningxia.

In the single crystal plant, rows of white cylindrical single crystal furnaces are neatly arranged. The numbers displayed on their green screens and the indicator lights on the top indicate that they are in production. There are few workers walking around.This is very different from the previous silicon material factories which were labor-intensive, hot and messy.

Last October, Ningxia Zhonghuan Photovoltaic Solar-grade Monocrystalline Silicon Material Intelligent Manufacturing Demonstration Factory (Crystal Phase VI Project) under TCL Zhonghuan was selected as a national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factory. The factory has achieved a fully automated process from silicon materials to silicon wafer shipments.

Jiemian News learned from the scene that the total investment of TCL Zhonghuan Ningxia project factory is 15 billion yuan, covering an area of ​​800 acres, with a designed production capacity of 50 GW. The project is positioned as the world's leading single-unit largest monocrystalline silicon smart factory and green factory, with an actual production capacity of more than 70GW.

According to the staff, the single crystal factory has four production modules, each equipped with 768 single crystal furnaces, totaling more than 3,000. Through the remote centralized control mode, one worker is responsible for operating 384 devices. TCL Zhonghuan said that its labor productivity is more than twice the industry's leading.

In order to improve production efficiency,TCL Central SettingsA joint production control center was established, which includes centralized control and joint operations for crystal pulling and square rods.

In the square rod workshop, Jiemian News reporters saw a very eye-catching silicon rod placed on site to show theThe manufacturing capacity of the factory.This is the longest single crystal silicon rod in the photovoltaic industry, with a length of 6.2 meters and a weight of more than 1 ton.

TCL Zhonghuan said that the automation rate of the square bar factory has reached 100%, and the dark-light rate has reached 90%. The goal is to become the first dark-light factory in the industry.

The dark lighting rate mainly refers to the method of evaluating the efficiency or occupancy rate of buildings or factories by observing the use of lights at night. The dark lighting factory refers to evaluating the automation rate and production efficiency by observing the use of lights on the production line.‌

In addition, TCL Zhonghuan defines the Ningxia project as a green factory, with the goals of achieving zero gas and liquid emissions, more than 98% comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste, more than 50% utilization rate of reclaimed water, more than 20% industry-leading energy consumption per kilogram of product, and 100% application of green electricity.

As a supporting project to extend its industrial chain,TCLZhonghuan has also invested in building a silicon wafer factory at its Ningxia base. Once completed, it is expected to achieve an annual production capacity of43 GWThe project is planned to cover an area of ​​approximately176Mu, total investment44100 million yuan, estimated annual output value200More than 100 million yuan, annual tax revenue3More than 100 million yuan.

In the process of producing silicon wafers, wire cutting technology plays a vital role. According to TCL Zhonghuan, the diameter of the diamond wire it uses is 28 microns, 3-5 microns ahead of the industry; the wire spindle speed is 38m/s. At present, 10 million silicon wafers can be shipped here every day, with a yield rate of 98.5% and a complete wafer rate of 99.5%.

TCLZhonghuan's history can be traced back to 1958, and its predecessor was Tianjin Semiconductor Materials Factory. Currently, Zhonghuan focuses on the development of semiconductor integrated circuit industry and photovoltaic materials industry. It is the world's largest monocrystalline silicon manufacturer. By the end of 2023, its monocrystalline silicon production capacity will reach 183 GW, and its silicon wafer export market share will be the world's largest.

In recent years,TCLZhonghuan frequently mentions industry in its financial reports4.0The company said that the Ningxia crystal factory will develop its own“Fixed pattern+Dark Blue”The application of intelligent manufacturing will further improve the manufacturing level and promote the high-end, intelligent and green development of the photovoltaic industry.

A few days ago,TCLThe relevant person in charge of Zhonghuan said in an interview with Jiemian News and other media,TCLZhonghuan’s domestic production capacity layout extends from Tianjin, and has expanded bases in Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Jiangsu and other places. In the future, it will continue to promote global layout and development.

In July this year, TCL Zhonghuan signed a shareholder agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Vision Industries. The three parties will jointly invest in the establishment of a joint venture to promote the local production of solar photovoltaic crystal chips in Saudi Arabia. The total investment in the project is approximately US$2.08 billion. The three parties will invest and finance with TCL Zhonghuan holding 40%, PIF's wholly-owned subsidiary RELC holding 40%, and Vision Industries holding 20%.

Annual production capacity of the above projects20 GWAfter completion, it will become the first photovoltaic crystal wafer project in Saudi Arabia and currently the largest crystal wafer factory overseas.

TCL Zhonghuan said that the Middle East project and the Yinchuan project belong to the same technical system, which means that the Yinchuan project can be regarded as the "prototype factory" of the Middle East project.

“At present, the Middle East is the most suitable region for the development of new energy except China. Its industrial base, government‘2030Vision’It has achieved its unique locational advantage.”TCLThe relevant person in charge of Zhonghuan said that the capacity release of Zhonghuan Middle East project is expected to be2025End of the year-2026Years.

At present, the price of silicon industry chain remains low, and the photovoltaic industry is in dire straits.TCLZhonghuan still maintains a relatively high operating rate.“Taking into account assets, depreciation issues, etc., different companies make different decisions. Zhonghuan currently maintains a relatively high operating rate. At the same time, in the face of constant market changes, we will analyze market conditions and internal data to find the optimal solution based on comprehensive production, sales, market share, profitability and other factors.”

TCLCentral statistics show that as of2024Year6In January, the monthly market share of photovoltaic silicon wafer shipments increased to30%about.

“After the industry adjustment period, the silicon wafer landscape is expected to be reshaped, the concentration of leading companies will increase, and Zhonghuan will maintain its dominant position in the industry.”TCLThe relevant person in charge of Zhonghuan said that at present,TCLZhonghuan’s single-tile cost is about three points ahead of the industry.

The company believes that the industry turning point may occur in the fourth quarter of this year.