The US Commerce Department has imposed tariffs on solar panel imports from four Southeast Asian nations, reported Reuters.
The new round of tariffs aims to protect domestic solar manufacturing.
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It follows complaints from American manufacturers, including Korea’s Hanwha Qcells and Arizona’s First Solar, about the influx of unfairly priced solar panels.
The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee has accused major Chinese solar panel producers with facilities in Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand of dumping products into the market, causing a price collapse.
Wiley Rein partner Tim Brightbill and lead counsel to the petitioners said: “With these preliminary duties, we are moving closer to addressing years of harmful unfair trade and protecting billions of dollars of investment in new American solar manufacturing and supply chains.”
The Commerce Department announced preliminary dumping duties ranging from 21.31% to 271.2%, depending on the manufacturer.
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By GlobalDataJinko Solar faces duties of 21.31% for its Malaysian-made products and 56.51% for those from Vietnam while Trina Solar has been assigned a dumping margin of 77.85% for its Thai-made products and 54.46% for Vietnamese items.
Notably, Hanwha Qcells’ Malaysian products were not assigned a dumping margin.
In October, the department determined a subsidy rate of 14.72% for the company.
Representatives of Jinko and Trina were not available for comment.
The department’s final determinations are expected on 18 April 2025, with the International Trade Administration’s conclusions following on 2 June and final orders on 9 June.
This action is part of the Biden Administration’s broader strategy to counter China’s investment in clean energy production and to incentivise domestic manufacturing, as outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the Act’s costs, he has expressed intentions to implement tariffs to safeguard American jobs.
The majority of solar panels in the US are imported, with around 80% originating from the targeted nations.
