SMM review and forecast for silicon metal industry chain 

SMM, Oct 8: Silicon raw materials: Silica mines are on a normal holiday schedule, combined with the expected production cuts in downstream south-west China silicon enterprises after October, leading to weak order demand recently, with most orders resuming shipment after the holiday. Some silicon coal washing plants have also mostly suspended production and shipment, with a few regions stopping early due to low coal prices and weak demand. In the charcoal sector, most traders in Yunnan have suspended import trade, and some traders have no plans to continue charcoal imports this year due to ongoing weak downstream demand.

Silicon metal: During the National Day holiday, the supply side of silicon metal enterprises maintained normal production. As the dry season approaches, some capacity reductions are expected in Sichuan and Yunnan regions in late October. Downstream polysilicon and silicone enterprises also maintained normal production, while some small and medium-sized secondary aluminum-silicon alloy plants took 3-5 days off, with other aluminum-silicon alloy plants maintaining normal production.

Silicone: During the holiday, domestic monomer enterprises slightly increased their operating load, mainly due to capacity ramp-up from previously halted and restarted enterprises. With monomer enterprises in north and east China resuming operations, supply will gradually increase. Monomer enterprises focused on production during the holiday, but logistics were paused due to hazardous materials, with shipments resuming post-holiday.

Polysilicon: The mainstream price for N-type polysilicon was 40-44 yuan/kg, and for dense polysilicon, it was 35-38 yuan/kg. During the National Day holiday, most polysilicon manufacturers maintained normal production, with no temporary holiday plans for major manufacturers. There are no plans for old manufacturers to resume operations in October. Due to increased production of granular silicon and some capacity ramp-up, polysilicon production is expected to slightly increase MoM, reaching above 130,000 mt in October.