EANS-News: WACKER Exits from Solar Wafer Business

- SCHOTT Solar acquires WACKER's shares in joint venture
- WACKER is
expecting from the transaction a non-recurring negative effect on
pre-tax profit of about €50 million, financial debt to increase by
some €65 million
- CEO Staudigl: “Focus on polysilicon production
provides an excellent base for long-term competitiveness and
profitability”

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Company Information

Utl.: - SCHOTT Solar acquires WACKER's shares in joint venture -
WACKER is expecting from the transaction a non-recurring negative
effect on pre-tax profit of about €50 million, financial debt to
increase by some €65 million - CEO Staudigl: “Focus on polysilicon
production provides an excellent base for long-term competitiveness
and profitability” =

Munich / Jena (euro adhoc) - September 30, 2009 - Wacker Chemie AG
exits from the solar wafer business and will transfer its shares in
its joint venture WACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH (WSS) to its former
partner SCHOTT Solar AG. WACKER and SCHOTT Solar have reached
agreement on the key points of a sales transaction today. The reason
for this move is WACKER´s decision to focus its solar activities from
now on exclusively on its core competency which is the production of
hyperpure polycrystalline silicon. SCHOTT Solar, on the other hand,
concentrates on the downstream side of the photovoltaic value chain,
the manufacturing of solar cells and modules. Already in the past,
SCHOTT Solar has absorbed the major part of WSS´s wafer production.

In the context of this transaction, WACKER will perform its
respective duties as a shareholder and will support WSS with a
variety of measures. All in all, Wacker Chemie AG is expecting from
its share in WSS a non-recurring negative impact on pre-tax profit of
EURabout EUR50 million as well as an increase in financial debt of
some EUR65 million. The corresponding financial precautions will be
appropriately recorded in the company´s financial statements for Q3
2009.

"Focusing on hyperpure polysilicon production provides an excellent
base for our long-term competitiveness and profitability", says
WACKER Group´s CEO Rudolf Staudigl. "In this field, we can play out
our technology leadership and our strong market position with maximum
impact."

WACKER is currently the world´s second largest supplier of
polysilicon for the solar and semiconductor industries and has under
way an extensive investment program for the expansion of its
production capacities.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on
assumptions and estimates of WACKER´s Executive Board. Although we
assume the expectations in these forward-looking statements are
realistic, we cannot guarantee they will prove to be correct. The
assumptions may harbor risks and uncertainties that may cause the
actual figures to differ considerably from the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause such discrepancies include, among
other things, changes in the economic and business environment,
variations in exchange and interest rates, the introduction of
competing products, lack of acceptance for new products or services,
and changes in corporate strategy. WACKER does not plan to update the
forward-looking statements, nor does it assume the obligation to do
so.

Ende der Mitteilung euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: Wacker Chemie AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Christof Bachmair

Media Relations & Information

Tel.: +49 (0)89 6279 1830

E-Mail: christof.bachmair@wacker.com

Branche: Chemicals
ISIN: DE000WCH8881
WKN: WCH888
Index: Midcap Market Index, MDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, HDAX,
Prime All Share
Börsen: Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard