REC reaches supply deal with solar panel maker

MOSES LAKE — REC Silicon announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to provide solar-grade silicon to South Korean solar panel maker Hanwha Solutions. The deal with Hanwha, which owns a major stake in REC, will provide solar-grade silicon to the company’s Q Cell solar panel factory in Dalton, Georgia, according to REC Vice President for Fluid Bed Reactor Sales Chuck Sutton. In mid-January, Hanwha announced a $2.5-billion expansion of its Dalton production plant to 8.4 gigawatts from the current 1.7 gigawatts, according to a Hanwha press release. “We’re looking at rebuilding the U.S. solar supply chain, and one of our goals is to support that,” Sutton said.