EXHIBIT 23-A

                          Independent Auditors' Consent

The Board of Directors
MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statements (Nos.
33-96420 and 333-19159) on Form S-8 of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. of our
reports dated January 20, 2000, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of
MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1999 and
1998, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders'
equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended
December 31, 1999, and the related schedule, which reports appear in or are
incorporated therein in the December 31, 1999 annual report on Form 10-K of MEMC
Electronic Materials, Inc.

                                        /s/ KPMG LLP


St. Louis, Missouri
March 28, 2000

                                     Page 1