Building company shows its mettle to 
complete project

The second phase of the polycrystalline silicon production base under construction in Leshan, Sich uan province, is built by Shanxi Construction Investment Group. YANG YANCHAO / FOR CHINA DAILY

A polycrystalline silicon production base is near completion in Leshan,Sichuan province,and is expected to give the city a reputation of being a green Silicon Valley in China.

Polycrystalline silicon is a crucial part of photovoltaic materials,which are widely used in solar power stations.

Local officials in Leshan said this base is expected to produce 160,000 metric tons of polycrystalline silicon annually,representing one of the largest outputs in China.

Shanxi Construction Investment Group,a civil engineering company from Taiyuan in North China's Shanxi province,is one of the contractors to the project.

SCIG was commissioned to build the second-phase project for technological upgrading.Upon completion,the facility will be able to produce 45,000 tons of high-purity polycrystalline silicon a year.

"We arrived in Leshan in August last year,"said Zhang Yu,a SCIG manager in charge of the project's construction."This is not a big project for us.However,we greatly value it because we want to make it a demonstrative project to show our strength and help us enter the local market."

The manager said it wants the client to know that SCIG is an innovative contractor and can create added value for clients with its own solutions and standards.

"We work with design drawings provided by the client,but are not confined by the drawings,"Zhang said.

One of SCIG's missions was to build a company dormitory near a gymnasium.

"The dorm was only 6 meters away from the gym and the original design required open-pit excavation for laying foundations.The distance meant we needed more support structure for safety.

"We talked with the client and revised the foundation design.This helped to save 150,000 yuan($23,200)for the client and shortened the period of work."

In addition to an innovative spirit,Zhang said the team from Shanxi had shown a strong will to overcome difficulties.

After two months of continuous rain,Leshan was hit by the most severe flood in a century back in August.

"For a building company from the north,the extreme rain and the flooding are something we haven't experienced before,"Zhang said.

Despite the difficulty,the SCIG team completed its mission according to schedule.

"I was really touched by the determination and perseverance of our colleagues in the face of adversity,"Zhang said.

By YUAN SHENGGAO

Guo Yanjie contributed to this story.