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January 29, 2010
Hsinchu,
Taiwan: AU Optronics Increases Cash Investment in M.Setek
AU
Optronics has announced its decision, approved by its Board of
Directors today, to subscribe new shares to be issued by M.Setek
for seizing the high-growing solar market opportunities and accelerating
establishment of key material capacity.
AUO
will invest 15 billion yen to strengthen its strategic position
in solar value chain. Being a major supplier to renowned solar
cell companies around the world, M.Setek’s technology realizes
high conversion rate of monocrystal silicon wafers for solar cells.
AUO says M.Setek is one of the few global suppliers which can
provide high quality and high-efficient solar wafers.
The
investment will help M.Setek to perform better in operation, sales,
and finance, and will be able to develop Japan and overseas market.
After the cash investment to its operation, M.Setek’s construction
of the second fab in Soma will be completed. The capacity of monocrystal
silicon will be significantly increased from 3,000 tons to 7,000
tons. This will be the best support for AUO to expand its solar
business aggressively.
AUO
has actively invested in solar business and planned for both solar
upstream and downstream value chains. AUO has shipped its solar
modules to Europe since June 2009. The first solar park project
in Hungen city, Germany was also on-grid by end of 2009. The 3MWp
solar-power plant using AUO’s PV modules can supply electricity
for 800 households.
In
addition to establishing a Reliability Lab for PV module’s quality
assurance, AUO is building a module production line in Taichung
and the line will be ramped up in Q1 2010. AUO is also recruiting
a large number of R&D talent for its energy business and also
plans to build up a first solar business operation base in China.
With the company's strategy of providing a total solution, AUO
will cooperate with partners in the industrial value chain to
develop the solar market globally.
Further details about: AU Optronics
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