Duisburg/Húsavík (Iceland), July 31, 2020. PCC BakkiSilicon hf., Húsavík, also switched off the second of two electric arc furnaces of our silicon metal plant on July 26, 2020. This serves to prepare the rehabilitation of the roof construction of the plant’s filter house by the plant constructor. The furnace had recently produced stably and delivered the expected silicon metal qualities.
The upcoming roof reconstruction is expected to take several weeks. During this downtime, PCC BakkiSilicon hf. or the plant engineering company, in addition to regular maintenance work, also carry out outstanding and contractually guaranteed renovation and repair measures and make technical adjustments to increase production efficiency. At the same time, the qualification of our goods is to be promoted among additional potential customers and, with the support of PCC SE, commercial improvements are to be negotiated on both the purchasing and the sales side. All these measures should help to sustainably strengthen the earnings situation of PCC BakkiSilicon hf. after restarting the plant.
The plant is expected to restart as soon as possible but this will depend to a large extent on how the silicon metal market develops, which has plummeted because of the covid 19 restrictions and the associated global economic slowdown. In the meantime, at least in China, there is a slight recovery in silicon metal prices. The sustainability of this upward trend remains to be seen in the coming weeks.