Wacker Tennessee polysilicon plant faces shutdown amid Trump tariffs, Reuters says

Wacker Chemie is weighing the closure of its Wacker Tennessee polysilicon plant after the administration’s new tariffs stripped the facility of its remaining buyers.

Wacker Tennessee polysilicon plant under pressure

The German chemicals group lost its last ↓ 2 customers for polysilicon in the United States within weeks of the tariff announcement, prompting senior managers to reassess the viability of the Reuters-cited site in Charleston, Tennessee.

The plant employs roughly ↓ 600 jobs, a workforce that could face abrupt layoffs if the closure proceeds. Local officials have urged Wacker to explore alternatives, citing the broader impact on the regional supply chain that still feels the aftershocks of the pandemic era.

“We are evaluating all options, including a possible shutdown, to protect shareholder value,” a spokesperson told Bloomberg.

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Analysts note that the tariff, part of a broader trade strategy championed by former President Trump, was originally intended to shield domestic producers. Ironically, the policy now threatens a foreign-owned facility that was positioned as a “U.S. job creator.”

Should Wacker pull the plug, the loss would add to the mounting pressures on the U.S. polysilicon market, already grappling with inventory gluts and volatile pricing.

Reported by Arthur Sterling (Macroeconomics Editor).