|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Oerlikon receives rather odd order for large thin-film factory
March, 2007: In early Dec. 2006, Oerlikon Solar-Lab S.A. announced that it had received a large order from a rather mysterious customer.
|
 |
|
© ErSol Solar Energy AG
|
|
|
Thin-film machines from Oerlikon (pictured here for Ersol in Dec. 2006): It remains unclear whether the shipments for API will go to Lower Saxony or Thuringia.
|
|
The Swiss company has been contracted to outfit a 160 MW production site for thin-film modules for 320 million CHF ($255.8 million). The order includes delivery of eight KAI 1200 CVD systems, 16 systems for TCO layer deposition, and 40 laser cutters. The customer, a company from Offenbach, Germany called API Petrochemische Industrieanlagen GmbH, which is apparently backed by »Saudi investors,« remains strangely hidden in the shadows.
API‘s managing director, Ekram Saleh, acted as the negotiator for the investors – and not only when dealing with Oerlikon, but also when negotiating the location of what could turn into Europe‘s largest thin-film module manufacturing site. Apparently, the company has narrowed its search for the location to two sites in Germany: the eastern state of Thuringia and the Clausthal-Zellerfeld region in the western state of Lower Saxony. As the site is likely to be based in the region offering the highest amount of subsidies, the cards do not look too good for Lower Saxony, whose regional government circles have confirmed it will not be able to get together more than €30 million ($38.9 million). Thuringia, on the other hand, has access to structural funds from the EU. According to information from the newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, a good €58 million ($75.2 million) is on offer there.
Instead, Lower Saxony has played its research card – it is offering access to facilities at the Technical University of Clausthal if the company settles there. According to Andreas Beuge, spokesperson for the Economics Ministry in Hanover, it is possible that the research aims of the university will be oriented toward the needs of the investors. He would not go into details. Only Ekram Saleh was present at a meeting at the state chancellery, who is said to have expressed the wish that its client settles in Harz, Lower Saxony. Beuge says that Nbank, the investment bank of Lower Saxony, has checked whether the investors are serious about their intentions. Nevertheless, it is said that no information about investors is made public before the investor has revealed this information himself.
When investigating the deal in Dec. 2006, the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung uncovered links with Yahya Ibrahim Aljuaidi, a businessman from Dschidda, Saudi Arabia and the sole shareholder of API GmbH. However, the Riyadh-based agency of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry could not provide any additional information.
In the meantime, a newly founded company, Clausthaler Solar GmbH, has arisen as an executive arm of API. However, even this company is flying well below the radar, as the only trace of the company‘s presence so far is its rather mysterious website (www.clausthaler-solar.de). But there is no information on the website other than the company‘s name – even though Ekram Saleh registered the Internet address on April 2, 2006.
According to Andreas Beuge, Clausthaler Solar is superior in status to API. There is no way to confirm this, though: the postal address for API is the same as that of Saleh‘s old company, Abscheider und Kühlerbau (AKB). The website for that company has been disabled and the telephone lines have been disconnected.
Despite its boastful announcement about the new order – the investment totals around €450 million ($583.5 million) – Oerlikon is keeping rather quiet about its new customer. Spokesperson Jürg Steinmann expressed his regret at the rather unsatisfactory amount of information available.
|
back
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|