A new monocrystalline and associated wafer slicing plant started operating recently in the Baotou Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park – located in Baotou city, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Monocrystalline wafers go into monocrystalline solar power panels, which can be used for roofs and off-grid solutions like vehicle fleets, boats and outbuildings.

The new plant occupies an area of 256 mu (17 hectares) and it will produce 10 gigawatts of monocrystalline annually, 10 GW of wafers and related production supporting a certain scale for the industry supply chain.

The facility is projected to generate an annual output value of 6 billion yuan ($822.64 million) and annual taxed revenue of 250 million yuan, providing employment opportunities for more than 2,500 people.

Currently, all 640 monocrystalline furnaces in the monocrystalline plant, 120 items of equipment – including domestically advanced in-line cropping machines in the slicing plant – as well as 105 wire cutting machines in the slicing plant, have been put into operation.