(Yicai Global) March 8 -- Longi Green Energy Technology and TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy Technology, China's silicon wafer giants, have offered different price quotations for their mainstream 182-millimeter wafers amid a shortage of high-purity quartz sand for crucibles used in making silicon wafers.

TCL Zhonghuan yesterday quoted CNY6.22 (89 US cents) for 150-micrometer M10 silicon wafers. Last week, Longi quoted CNY6.50 for products of the same specifications.

The person in charge of Xi’an-based Longi told Yicai Global that the divergent pricing is the result of a shortage of quartz crucibles, which is affecting silicon wafer production.

TCL Zhonghuan's latest quotation of P-type silicon wafers remained the same because the Tianjin-based firm owns its own crucibles and the fact that polysilicon prices fell, driving the profit of 182-mm wafers to an all-time high, a senior photovoltaic industry insider told Yicai Global.

TCL Zhonghuan overlocked its high-quality quartz sand resources at home and abroad to ensure it meets annual shipment and market share increase targets, according to a research report from Zheshang Securities.

Although the lack of high-purity quartz sand was also related to the delay of purchases in the first quarter, the supply of the raw material was insufficient, the industry insider added, noting that this year's planned TOPCon production capacity will reach 500 gigawatts to 600 GW, implying that the market needs more imported quartz sand.

Only Unimin of the US, Norway's TQC, and China's Pacific Quartz can produce high-purity quartz sand for photovoltaic crucibles. China's two silicon wafer giants mainly control domestic high-purity quartz sand, resulting in an even more severe shortage for startups and second- and third-tier companies, the head of the marketing department at a Chinese solar module maker told Yicai Global.

Longi [SHA: 601012] fell 1.3 percent to close at CNY43.86 (USD6.29) a share today, while TCL Zhonghuan [SHE: 002129] came off 0.5 percent to CNY47.80.

Editors: Shi Yi, Futura Costaglione