Chinese solar wafer and polysilicon manufacturing giant GCL Technology Holdings Limited’s bet on fluidized bed reactor (FBR) production process for granular silicon seems to be paying off with its increasing adaption rate. The company announced that its granular silicon estimated to account for more than 40% at its leading customers.
In 2024, GCL’s total sales to the company’s top 5 customers represented 71.2% of its total sales volume of granular silicon (see GCL Technology Suffers RMB 4.75 Billion Net Loss In 2024).
At the end of 2024, GCL’s total granular silicon production capacity reached 480,000 MT with an output of 269,200 tons representing 32% year-on-year (YoY) increase. Its shipments of granular silicon also went up by 45% with 281,900 tons, and a ‘sales-to-production ratio of 105%.’ The Chinese manufacturer says its granular silicon inventory is the lowest in the industry.
GCL attributes this milestone to the improved quality of its FBR produced granular silicon. The silicon producer emphasizes, as of February 2025, 95% of its production reached a purity spec of ≤0.5 parts per billion in weight (PPBW) for the key 5-metal impurities and taking into consideration of 18 metals, 91% of the production meets ≤1 PPBW.
“Against the backdrop of severe losses in the PV industry and intense competition in polysilicon, granular silicon remains a stable pillar,” stated GCL. The key mainstream product for GCL, it sees granular silicon as one that will help it remain competitive and stable despite industry fluctuations.
GCL’s annual mono-silicon crystal pulling capacity stood at 10 GW, while wafer production capacity was 35 GW.
As the name suggests, granular silicon exists in small particle form, compared to silicon chunks (rods) produced via the modified Siemens method. To minimize the risk of contamination, GCL says it has been able to increase the particle size to now exceed 2mm. This large particle size has shown improved performance in crystal pulling process while reducing the wire breakage rates in wafer slicing. The finished product output increased by close to 4 kg/day.
