Solaicx, a leading manufacturer of mono-crystalline silicon ingots and wafers optimized for photovoltaic applications, today announced it has selected a new facility for silicon manufacturing in the City of Portland, Ore. The signing of a lease for the 136,000-square-foot facility, located in the Portland Rivergate Industrial District, represents a major milestone for the company and follows a successful financing round lead by the D.E. Shaw Group. A formal plant opening and ribbon-cutting event will take place later this year.

"I am pleased that Solaicx will be locating its new facility in Oregon, creating good paying jobs and adding to our first-rate-high-tech cluster," said Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. "Solaicx's announcement confirms that Oregon, with our commitment to sustainability, skilled workforce and prime location, is on track to become the national leader in renewable energy."

The plant, which will have an initial run-rate of 48 megawatts, will create roughly 100 new jobs by the end of 2007. In 2008, Solaicx plans to expand the plant's capacity from its initial 12 silicon ingot growers to a total of 36 growers. At full capacity, the facility will produce 142 megawatts of solar ingots and wafers per year.

"We looked at the state of Oregon's generous financial incentives for renewable energy and Portland's deep base of skilled labor in silicon manufacturing, and decided that the port is an ideal place for our continued growth as a company," said Jeff Jones, Vice President of Manufacturing for Solaicx. "This welcoming atmosphere will allow us to meet our goals and rapidly ramp-up to full production by the end of 2008."

Governor Ted Kulongoski has established growth in the clean energy sector as a top priority for Oregon. In the fall of 2005 a Renewable Energy Action Plan was issued by the governor's office, which led to the subsequent development of a statewide Solar Energy Working Group to develop and carry out a strategic plan for advancing solar energy in Oregon. The city of Portland was quick to follow with a series of initiatives to encourage clean energy companies to choose Portland for their operations.

About Solaicx

Solaicx is a manufacturer of low-cost, high-efficiency silicon ingots and wafers for the photovoltaic (PV) industry. By designing and building equipment optimized for the high volume, continuous manufacture of high-performance, single crystal silicon ingots, Solaicx creates significant competitive advantages, in terms of cost and quality, which are then passed through the value chain of the silicon-based solar cell manufacturing market. For more information, visit http://www.solaicx.com/