The US Department of Commerce announced on Thursday preliminary antidumping duties on solar cells and panels imported from India, Indonesia, and Laos. This is the latest in a series of tariffs imposed over the past decade on solar product imports from Asia.
Federal trade officials sided with domestic solar plant owners in alleging that companies in these three countries were dumping cheap products in the American market.
According to information released on the Commerce Department’s website, the agency calculated preliminary duty rates, known as dumping margins, of 123.04% for imports from India, 35.17% for imports from Indonesia, and 22.46% for imports from Laos.
Last year, these three countries accounted for $4.5 billion in American solar imports, approximately two-thirds of the total, according to government trade data.
This decision is a blow to producers in these countries who were supplying products to a growing American market.
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, which filed the petition, includes First Solar, Qcells, Talon PV, and Mission Solar.
“The preliminary findings confirm that producers from these countries are dumping solar cells and modules in the American market at unfairly low prices, undercutting US-made products and distorting competition in a pivotal moment for the national manufacturing sector,” the Alliance stated in a press release.
The group has successfully obtained duties on imports from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
The Commerce Department said it will announce a final decision on July 13 or around that date for solar cells from India and Indonesia, and a decision for Laos on September 9 or around that date. The agency also announced preliminary countervailing duties on the three countries in February.
