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Suntech Announces New 5-Year Silicon Wafer Purchase Agreement

2006-12-18 20:14 140015


WUXI, China, Dec. 18 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co.,

Ltd. (NYSE: STP) one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photovoltaic

(PV) cells and modules, today announced that it has entered into an agreement

with Sunlight Group Inc. to purchase silicon wafers over a 5-year period.

Sunlight is headquartered in the U.S. with China and Japan-based production.

The contract provides for increased volumes over the course of the term at

fixed prices for each year with an annual price review for each calendar

year. Based on existing contract prices, the value of the silicon wafers to

be supplied is approximately $366 million to $670 million.

“We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Sunlight and look

forward to a long term, strategic relationship with them. It is exciting to

be able to secure yet another meaningful contract for silicon which will

enable us to achieve our ambitious growth targets during a time of

industry-wide silicon supply shortages. As all of these long term silicon

supply contracts are priced measurably below spot market prices, we will see

immediate cost savings when they take effect in 2007. Supply agreements such

as these enable us to be among the fastest growing, lowest cost providers of

PV products in the industry,” said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech’s chairman

and CEO.

This agreement with Sunlight combined with recent deals with suppliers

such as Comtec, MEMC and REC will enable Suntech to exceed its previous

expectation that 70% of its wafer supply needs for its projected 2007 PV cell

production output will be from fixed-price, multi-year contracts.

About Suntech

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is a leading solar energy company in the

world as measured by both production output and capacity of solar cells and

modules. Suntech provides solar solutions for a green future. Suntech

designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a variety of high quality, cost

effective and environmentally friendly PV cells and modules for electric

power applications in the residential, commercial, industrial, and public

utility sectors. Suntech’s majority-owned subsidiary, MSK Corporation is

one of Japan’s largest PV manufacturers and one of the top-ranked companies

in the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) space. Suntech’s customers

are located in various markets worldwide, including key markets throughout

Europe, Japan, China and the United States. For more information, please

visit http://www.suntech-power.com .

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements

constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A

of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private

Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements

can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,”

“anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,”

“estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, Suntech’s

expectations with respect to the silicon supply agreement highlighted above

contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and

uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those

in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and

other risks is included in Suntech’s filings with the U.S. Securities and

Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Suntech does

not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a

result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required

under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

Steven Chan

VP of Business Development

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.

Tel: +86-510-8531-8910

Email: ir@suntech-power.com

Rory Macpherson

Senior Associate

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Tel: +86-10-8520-6553

Email: rory.macpherson@ogilvy.com

Source: Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.
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