A joint venture agreement between JA Solar and MEMC's affiliate, MEMC Singapore, will build and operate a solar cell production facility in China. In Phase One of the project, the joint venture will build a production facility with a capacity of 250MW of PV cells.

March 7, 2011 - GLOBE NEWSWIRE -- JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq:JASO) and MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE:WFR) formed a joint venture agreement between JA Solar and MEMC's affiliate, MEMC Singapore, to build and operate a solar cell production facility in China. In Phase One of the project, the joint venture will build a production facility with a capacity of 250MW of photovoltaic (PV) cells.

The Phase One production facility will be located at JA Solar's Yangzhou site, and is expected to begin commercial production in the second half of 2011. In later phases, total production capacity may be expanded up to 1GW. The joint venture will be a 50/50 partnership between JA Solar and MEMC Singapore.

Ken Hannah, president of MEMC Solar Materials, cited JA Solar's manufacturing capability, industry-leading cost structure and clear understanding of MEMC's business objectives as reasons for the JV.

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. manufactures high-performance solar power products. For more information, please visit www.jasolar.com.

MEMC provides semiconductor and solar technology. Through its SunEdison subsidiary, MEMC is also a developer of solar power projects. MEMC's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "WFR" and is included in the S&P 500 Index. For more information about MEMC, please visit www.memc.com.

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