LDK Solar announced yesterday that it has delayed two polysilicon projects with a total production capacity of 6,000 tons. Originally, LDK had planned to increase its 2008 production capacity by 6,000 tons. According to TradingMarkets.com, 5,000 tons of that amount was supposed to come from a 15,000-t/y polysilicon project and 1,000 tons was supposed to come from from a 1,000-t/y polysilicon project. However, the 15,000 t/y polysilicon project will not be online until the middle of this year, and the smaller project is in trial production only.

LDK’s spokesman, Yao Feng, commented on the decision to delay the projects:

Agreements with suppliers of steel, cement and other construction materials need be re-signed when the prices have slumped, and it also takes time to re-check the polysilicon production facilities after some similar facilities in China incurred environmental protection and production accidents continuously, said Yao Feng, spokesman of LDK Solar, when talking about the delay.

It?s not necessary either to hurry through the construction project now as the price of polysilicon plunged from 400 U.S. dollars per kg to 150 U.S. dollars per kg, Yao added.