[Ferro-Alloys.com]Moses Lake, WA, July 15th 2019: REC Silicon ASA (REC Silicon) previously announced that its FBR facility in Moses Lake, Washington would be placed in a long-term shutdown by July 15, 2019 if its access to polysilicon markets in China was not restored by that date. Although recent talks between the Government of the United States (USG) and the Government of China at the G20 summit in Osaka in late June 2019 have resulted in a resumption of trade negotiations between the governments, the governments have not agreed on or imposed a deadline for a resolution and there is no certainty yet as to the date by which REC Silicon’s access to the China market will be restored. Accordingly, REC Silicon has executed a reduction in its workforce in Moses Lake, Washington by approximately 100 employees.

The remaining workforce in Moses Lake will allow REC Silicon to restart its FBR facility if further trade negotiations result in a re-opening of polysilicon markets in China. REC Silicon’s facility in Butte, Montana is not affected by the workforce reduction executed this week. Restructuring costs associated with the workforce reduction this week remain near estimates previously provided by REC Silicon.

REC Silicon is grateful to the USG, specifically U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Lighthizer and his team, for prioritizing the interests of the U.S. polysilicon industry in its on-going trade discussions with China. REC Silicon, however, urges the USG to include polysilicon on the list of products to be purchased by the Government of China in the short-run while the negotiations continue and to continue to push for restoration of open, fair, and unrestricted access for sales of U.S. polysilicon in the Chinese market. If REC Silicon is able to regain access to the Chinese polysilicon market in the near term, it will re-hire its highly skilled employees and re-start manufacturing immediately, ensuring that the United States retains its capabilities to produce this critical input to technologies of strategic importance to U.S. defense and commercial interests.

• [Editor:tianyawei]