A round-up of news from China with the price of solar wafers going up, TCL Zhonghuan shipping over 200GW of 210mm wafers and Complant securing an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for a PV project in Congo.
Wafer prices in China on the rise, G12R average transaction price reaches RMB1.45/piece
According to the Silicon Industry Branch, wafer prices maintained an upward trend in the last week of March. The average transaction price for N-type G10L mono wafers (182*183.75mm/130μm/256mm) stood at RMB1.20/piece, representing a 0.84% week-on-week increase. N-type G12R mono wafers (182*210mm/130μm) recorded an average transaction price of RMB1.45/piece, marking a 3.57% increase from the previous week, whereas N-type G12 mono wafers (210*210mm/150μm) remained stable at RMB1.55/piece.
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Robust downstream cell demand and active market transactions drove the price increase, which prompted manufacturers to implement staggered price increases across all product models.
The Silicon Industry Branch stated that this week’s price hike is primarily due to an installation rush for grid-connected projects ahead of policy deadlines (April 30/May 31) to secure subsidies.
Market research reveals that robust demand from cell manufacturers has led to wafer inventory depletion, resulting in a short-term supply shortage. Meanwhile, production enthusiasm remains high among manufacturers.
Customs data shows that China exported 3.52GW wafers in February 2025, registering a 1.15% month-on-month increase. Among these, mono wafer exports totalled 3.27GW (down 0.01GW from the previous month), while polycrystalline wafer exports reached 0.25GW (up 0.05GW from January 2025).
TCL Zhonghuan ships more than 200GW of its 210mm wafers
On April 1, TCL Zhonghuan announced that as of March 2025, the cumulative shipments of its 210mm wafers had exceeded 200GW.
The company highlighted that its 210mm wafers have improved photoelectric conversion efficiency by 1.08%, boosted production efficiency by 80.5%, and cut the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) by 6.8%. Since its launch in 2019, the module power has jumped from 400W to 700W within five years, accelerating the industry’s shift to 6.0, 7.0, and N-type high-efficiency era.
According to CPIA data, in 2024, 166mm and smaller wafers, 182mm square wafers, and micro-rectangular wafers held market shares of 1.3%, 23%, and 30%, respectively. However, their market shares are expected to gradually decrease, potentially being phased out between 2026 and 2028. Meanwhile, the 210mm wafers already account for 45.7% of the market.
Complant signs EPC contract for PV project in Congo
Engineering company China National Complete Plant Import & Export Corporation (Complant) has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the 56MW PV project in the Republic of Congo’s Special Economic Zone, with Congolese energy producer Tinda Energy.
The contract is valued at US$76 million and covers the construction of a PV power plant, two 10km 33kV transmission lines, a 22.5MWh storage system and supporting facilities. The construction of the project is expected to last 18 months. However, a beginning date for the construction of the project has not been disclosed yet.
Earlier this year, Complant, in a consortium with Turkey’s Intec Energy Solutions PTY LTD, signed a $119 million EPC contract with Shafag (Jabrayil) Solar Limited for the 240MW “Azerbaijan Sunrise PV Project”. The project is expected to be built in 24 months.
Complant mainly specialises in the import/export of complete equipment and technology packages, environmental technology solutions and composite material production.
