POCATELLO, Idaho — An official with a Hawaii company that plans to make polysilicon for solar panels in eastern Idaho says a portion of the $390 million plant should be up and running later this year.

Dustin Shindo, chief executive officer of Hoku Scientific Inc., said despite the faltering economy the market for polysilicon remains profitable.

"It's still priced attractively, but the polysilicon market isn't as robust as it was a year ago," he told the Idaho State Journal. "It's still a product that is in demand."

He said Hoku has already received $118 million in prepayments from customers, and that a total of $291 million has been committed.

The plant is projected to produce 4,000 metric tons annually of polysilicon and employ about 200 workers.

"We've made a big commitment to build our business in Idaho," Shindo said. "We haven't hired that many people yet to work at the plant, but there are lots of people who work on the construction side of things."

Work is also going forward on a $14.8 million power substation on Hoku's 67-acre property, and officials say electricity to the plant should be available by June or July.

"One of the reasons we selected Pocatello and the state of Idaho is access to reasonably priced, stable power," Shindo said. "So the upcoming connection of that power to our property is a meaningful milestone."

Hoku has asked Idaho Power to supply 82 megawatts of year-round capacity. However, the power company doesn't have the capacity to meet that demand without special arrangements.

As a result, Hoku has agreed to shut down the plant during parts of the summer for maintenance when Idaho Power faces peak demand from other power users, said Idaho Public Utilities Commission spokesman Gene Fadness.

Hoku has already made a deal with Great Western Malting Plant to supply the malt house with heated water that's part of the polysilicon plant's cooling process. Malting company officials said the deal saves them money on natural gas and will slash emissions.

"People in the community find that very exciting that businesses can work together to be more efficient," Shindo said. "We get a little money for it, and they pay less for it than if they were to produce heat themselves."