Silicon production complex.. a new step towards supporting the renewable energy industry
Silicone Production Complex…a new step towards supporting the renewable energy industry
In an exemplary partnership between the state and the private sector, “Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources” Eng. Tarek El-Mulla announced the start of construction of the silicon production complex. The project is expected to be implemented in the new city of El Alamein on an area of 200 acres, as it aims – in addition to benefiting from mining wealth with national investments – to provide local production of silicon and its derivatives instead of importing it, and so that Egypt does not export these wealth in Its raw image; The results of this will be reflected in methods for enhancing added value and investment returns, thus pushing the Egyptian economy forward.
Regarding this importance, the Ministry of Petroleum said, according to its statement yesterday, Monday: “The silicon complex project in New Alamein City is one of the national projects with a promising future, and through it the Egyptian government aims to make optimal economic use of the natural and mining resources that the Egyptian land enjoys.”
It should be noted that silicon is a material used in many industries, such as: the aluminum industry – the insulating materials industry – the electronics industry – the manufacture of panelssolar cells, and other industries whose surplus the government seeks to export after meeting the needs of the local market.
Al-Mulla confirmed that the project is based on renewable energy concepts, as it will be fueled by solar energy, which is consistent with the vision of the petroleum sector that seeks to achieve sustainable goals, and which also seeks for its projects to be environmentally friendly.
The project is planned to go through four different stages, with the first stage targeting the production of silicon with a production capacity of 45 thousand tons annually, and the cost of that stage is estimated at about 172 million dollars, while the value of a ton of the final silicon product will be estimated at about 340 dollars, and this is compared to quartz, which is sold for about 15 dollars per ton.
As for the second phase – according to the ministry’s statement – it will target the production of “intermediate silicones”, which are silicon derivatives used in the manufacture of construction materials, as well as in the rubber industry, in addition to paper and medical uses. The production capacity of this stage will range between 60 – 100 thousand tons annually, depending on the raw materials available in the local market, such as metallic silicon, hydrochloric acid, and methanol.
After that comes the step of establishing a factory to produce polysilicon – which is the third stage – with a production capacity of – at the very least – ten thousand tons annually. This expected production of polysilicon will enter a number of important industries, including: the solar cell industry – the electronics industry, and these two industries have an effective contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With regard to the fourth phase – which is the last phase of the silicon and its derivatives complex project – it will be through the establishment of a complex for medium and small industries, and its goal is to produce complete products, instead of importing them, which are: adhesives – insulating materials – binding materials.
In conclusion, the Minister confirmed that the Ministry is currently working on implementing the first phases of the project at a rapid pace, by utilizing the efforts of the government and private sectors. So that the Egyptian economy benefits from the first industrial field that Egypt entered – the field of manufacturing silicon and its derivatives.
