Domestic Short Supply of Polysilicon Eased in September, while Imports of Polysilicon Dropped Sharply by 19.1%

SHANGHAI, Oct 26 (SMM) - According to customs data, China's polysilicon imports in September 2022 were 7,300 mt, down 19.1% month-on-month and 23.3% year-on-year. Total imports of polysilicon were 64,100 mt from January to September, a YoY decrease of 35.3%.

According to SMM survey, the significant decline of polysilicon imports in September was attributed to the considerable growth of domestic polysilicon output as the production was no longer subject to power rationing and maintenance. In fact, the domestic polysilicon output in September increased 23% on a monthly basis. At the same time, silicon wafer enterprises saw a limited output increase in September. Therefore, the domestic polysilicon supply tightness was alleviated, which led to a reduction in the polysilicon imports.

SMM believes that domestic polysilicon imports will continue to diminish in October, mainly because the domestic polysilicon production is expected to extend the increase into October. Meanwhile, silicon wafer plants have seen accumulated finished product inventory with lower-than-expected downstream demand. In this case, the producers might cut silicon wafer output in October. Moreover, the bearish market sentiment on polysilicon prices has turned silicon wafer plants cautious about purchasing. In this case, the tight supply of polysilicon will be further relieved with a high possibility of oversupply, which will lead to a further decline in imports.