The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) determined today that there is reasonable evidence that the U.S. solar panel industry is being significantly harmed by imports of silicon solar cells and panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The Commission will now pass the decision-making baton to the Ministry of Commerce, which will decide whether to initiate anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) before the end of the year.
The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee (AASMTC) filed the petition for the AD/CVD investigation in April. It is the second AD/CVD study into sun products from Southeast Asia. In August 2023, Commerce expanded AD/CVD to solar manufacturers operating in Southeast Asia, but allowed manufacturers that use non-Chinese wafers or at least four solar components (silver paste, aluminum frames, glass, backplates, EVA plates , junction boxes). outside China to be exempt from the AD/CVD orders. Affected companies have shifted their supply chains to produce non-bypass solar products over the past two years, and imports from the four countries have never been higher in the United States.
The committee, which also includes domestic manufacturers First Solar, Mission Solar and Qcells, filed the second AD/CVD petition over the failed first AD/CVD measure to protect domestic manufacturers from a flood of imports.
Tim Brightbill, the lead attorney representing AASMTC, said the commission appreciates the USITC’s affirmative preliminary ruling.
“The preliminary investigation provided substantial and detailed evidence that these four countries are engaged in illegal dumping and subsidization of solar cells and modules, which is harming and causing injury to our businesses and American workers, as well as creating enormous volatility and cost uncertainty in the U.S. domestic solar energy sector. market,” he said. “Because of the unfair trade practices of these largely Chinese and headquartered companies, billions of dollars of unfairly priced solar products have crushed the U.S. market, causing U.S. prices to drop more than 50% in the past year. This makes it nearly impossible for American manufacturers to compete, and jeopardizes crucial investments in solar energy production across the United States. We now look forward to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s progress on its important investigations into dumping and subsidies by all four countries.”
Commerce’s preliminary countervailing duty determinations are scheduled on or about July 18, 2024, and preliminary anti-dumping duty determinations are scheduled on or about October 1, 2024.
