After reviewing industry data, the Commerce Department has decided to launch a nationwide investigation to determine whether imports of silicon solar cells from Ethiopia using Chinese components are circumventing long-standing anti-dumping/countervailing duties (AD/CVD) on solar cells from China.
Credit: Toyo Solar
The research was requested in May by the American solar cell and panel brands DYCM Power, First Solar, Qcells, Silfab, Solx, Suniva, Swift Solar and Talon PV. The petitioners alleged that two solar power manufacturers in Ethiopia – Toyo and Origin Solar – use Chinese-origin wafers to make solar cells in Ethiopia and then assemble those cells into modules in Ethiopia or Vietnam for export to the United States. They claimed that almost 70% of completed Ethiopian solar panels contain components and processing that are already subject to existing tariffs on Chinese solar products.
The petition documented that U.S. imports of cells and modules from Ethiopia, which did not exist before July 2025, reached $277 million in the second half of 2025 alone and have continued to increase in 2026. The petitioners linked this growth to a corresponding increase in Chinese exports of key cell and module inputs to Ethiopia.
“Our continued monitoring of these trade flows is yielding results, and this new investigation sends a clear message to bad actors: we will not stand by as they repeatedly circumvent our trade laws to undermine American manufacturing,” said Tim Brightbill, lead attorney for the petitioners and co-chair of Wiley’s International Trade Practice. “We commend the Department of Commerce for following the evidence and initiating this investigation.”
Both Toyo and Origin Solar submitted clarifying factual information to Commerce, after which Commerce decided to investigate further. Commerce estimates that a preliminary decision will be made on December 10, 2026, with a final determination expected around May 10, 2027. Pending the outcome, Commerce has instructed Customs to continue the suspension of liquidation for entries already covered by the underlying orders and to apply the cash deposit rates that would apply if the goods are found within the scope. The obligations may apply retroactively to the date of commencement of the circumvention investigation.
The sector is still awaiting a final decision in the AD/CVD investigation on the import of solar energy from India, Indonesia and Laos (considered “Solar IV”). This Ethiopian effort is the fifth major nationwide investigation into solar manufacturers allegedly circumventing the original AD/CVD orders for Chinese solar components. An investigation request has also been made on imports of solar energy from Korea, but the trade has yet to make a decision on whether to proceed with this.
