Krasnoyarsk manufacturer Germanium has launched industrial production of polished germanium wafers used as substrates for solar cells. The company belongs to Shvabe within Rostec. The launch, reported by Interfax on 3 October, moves the product beyond the enterprise’s earlier pilot-production stage.
A substrate within the solar-cell supply chain
Rostec identifies space applications and renewable energy among the intended uses. A polished wafer is the base for subsequent manufacture of a photovoltaic device; it should not be described as a complete solar panel. The announcement concerns the production of this upstream component.
The company estimates domestic demand at roughly 50,000 wafers a year and says imports previously accounted for about 90% of the market. Those figures describe its assessment of market requirements and supply structure. They are not a published annual capacity for the new operation or a confirmed number of customer deliveries.
Part of a broader materials project
Interfax places the wafer launch within an investment project exceeding 328 million rubles, including a 222 million ruble preferential loan from the Industrial Development Fund. The project also includes germanium tetrachloride production for fibre-optic applications, which began in July. The overall investment therefore should not be attributed exclusively to the wafer operation.
These two products serve different manufacturing steps. The October announcement adds industrial wafer production to a programme that had already introduced the chemical product. Distinguishing the products makes the sequence clearer and avoids treating two launch dates as competing accounts of the same event.
- October milestone: industrial production of polished wafers.
- Earlier stage: wafers made at a pilot-production section.
- Separate July milestone: germanium tetrachloride for optical fibre.
- Demand estimate: a market indicator, not a delivery total.
Company and contact
JSC Germanium manufactures germanium materials and compounds in Krasnoyarsk. Commercial enquiries can be directed to its sales and foreign economic activity team: marketing@krasgermanium.com; telephone +7 (391) 223-59-55. The company’s address is 1 Transportny Proyezd, building 107, Krasnoyarsk, 660123. Official website: https://krasgermanium.com/.
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