Silicon refinery to break ground in September
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May 23, 2008
Michael Hammond
RECORD STAFF
WATERLOO
Arise Technologies Corp. will begin construction of a multimillion-dollar silicon refinery in Waterloo in September, a company executive said yesterday.
The Waterloo solar-technology company said it has completed the engineering work for the refinery, which will be a pilot plant to test the commercial viability of new silicon-production technology.
It will be part of a 75,000-square-foot building that also will house the firm's offices and a research and development centre.
The building will be located in the University of Waterloo Research and Technology Park.
Dave Chornaby, Arise Technologies' chief financial officer, said the company wants the building to be weatherproofed by the end of this year.
That will clear the way for the refining equipment to be installed early next year.
The company's 50 employees, who currently work in offices on Northland Road, likely won't move into the new facility until next summer, he said.
Arise plans to begin production of industrial-grade silicon next spring.
The refinery will produce 50 tonnes next year and 400 tonnes by 2010 when it is fully operational. "It is an aggressive timetable but we're confident it can be done," Chornaby said.
Aiming to be a global supplier of silicon, the company plans to build a major silicon refinery somewhere else in Canada where electricity rates are cheaper. That plant will produce 10,000 tonnes of silicon a year.
Silicon, a common element in the Earth's crust, allows solar panels to harness sunlight and convert it into electricity.
Refined, industrial-grade silicon is in short supply, which has pushed up its price.
Arise hasn't revealed the cost of the pilot plant project.
The federal Sustainable Technology Development Canada program is funding about a third of the cost of the pilot plant to a maximum of $6.4 million.
mhammond@therecord.com
aus w:o
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