JIANGSU, and XINYU CITY, China, June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Canadian
Solar Inc. ('the Company', 'CSI') (Nasdaq: CSIQ) today announced it signed a
ten-year supply contract with LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK), a leading manufacturer of
multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline solar wafers. LDK has been a key
supplier to CSI since summer of 2006. This new ten-year supply contract is in
addition to the three-year supply contract signed between CSI and LDK in
October 2007. LDK expects to begin the ramp up of its in-house polysilicon
manufacturing project in the second half of 2008.
Under the terms of the new agreement, LDK will supply an additional 800
megawatts (MW) of solar wafers to CSI through 2018. Delivery under the new
agreement is expected to start in July 2009, with approximately 40MW being
shipped in 2009 and approximately 80MW annually in 2010 and beyond. This will
bring total contracted wafer deliveries from LDK to CSI to 120MW in 2009 and
170MW in 2010, respectively.
With this contract, CSI has secured 70% of feedstock under favorably
priced long-term contracts for its targeted 500-550MW module output in 2009.
Mr. Xiaofeng Peng, Chairman and CEO of LDK Solar commented, 'We are excited to
sign this new contract with CSI. The delivery schedule coincides with the
expected timelines of our in-house polysilicon projects. This new contract is
a testament to our commitment to delivering high quality wafers at prices
competitive with any other supplier. CSI is an important and strategic
customer and this contract represents another milestone in our ongoing
partnership. By combining our solar wafer manufacturing capabilities with
CSI's market leading cell, module and custom-designed applications, we are
able to deliver a dynamic, integrated and effective solution.'
Dr. Shawn Qu, CEO of CSI, said, 'LDK supplies high-quality solar wafers
and has been a long-term and strategic partner in the execution of our
flexible vertical integration model. We are pleased to enter into this new
agreement and believe that it will significantly boost our ability to continue
to grow and improve our gross margin prospects, even under scenarios of
reduced solar feed-in-tariff. Furthermore, by increasing our supply visibility
for 2009 and beyond, we are once again demonstrating our ability to build
strong and loyal alliances with our suppliers along the solar value chain.'
About LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK)
LDK Solar Co., Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of multicrystalline and
mono-crystalline solar wafers, which are the principal raw material used to
produce solar cells.