AVANCIS Gets Clearance to Build New CIS Module Facility

AVANCIS Gets Clearance to Build New CIS Module Facility

June 29, 2007

    BERLIN, June 29 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The European
Commission Directorate General (DG) for Competition
recently announced that AVANCIS, a joint venture between
Shell and Saint-Gobain, can receive a tax allowance and a
direct grant from the Federal State of Saxony.

    AVANCIS will erect a new facility for the production of
photovoltaic modules in the town of Torgau in Saxony. The
production process is based on advanced CIS technology as
developed at the AVANCIS R&D centre in Munich. CIS
modules contain very thin layers of copper, indium and
selenium to convert sunlight directly into electricity. The
annual capacity of the plant will initially be 20 megawatts
peak (MWp), with a scope for rapid expansion.

    AVANCIS combines Shell CIS technology expertise, aided
by eight years of commercial manufacturing at the Camarillo
plant in California, with Saint-Gobain's knowledge in glass
processing and production of building materials. AVANCIS
CIS modules will be available from 2008 onwards.

    Invest in Germany advised the project partners from the
early stage of the process. Germany's federal investment
promotion agency provided assistance not only in navigating
the possibilities for investment incentives at different
governmental levels, but also in finding potential partners
such as consultancy firms.

    Ulrike Handtke, Head of the Department Project Services
at Invest in Germany, whose team handles questions
pertaining to financing, noted that the decision of AVANCIS
to build in eastern Germany shows that incentives are one of
many significant factors that work in the investor's favor
in eastern Germany:

    "Getting this financing was one of the key
elements in the investment decision of AVANCIS. With the
current decision of DG Competition, AVANCIS can take
advantage of the moderate wage costs, stellar
infrastructure, and highly qualified workers that make
Germany an outstanding investment location."

    Invest in Germany is the official investment promotion
agency of Germany. Its mandate is to assist and advise
international companies about investment opportunities in
Germany. Invest in Germany provides comprehensive support
from site selection to the implementation of investment
decisions.


    For more information, please contact:
    
     Eva Henkel
     Invest in Germany
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]
     Web:   http://www.invest-in-germany.com