The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has determined that imports of silicon solar
cells and panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are causing material harm
to the U.S. solar panel manufacturing industry. This finding moves the decision-making
process to the Department of Commerce, which will now consider whether to implement
antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) before the end of the year.
In April, the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee (AASMTC) filed a
petition for this AD/CVD investigation, marking the second such inquiry into solar products
from Southeast Asia. The initial AD/CVD measures, extended in August 2023, targeted
Southeast Asian manufacturers but allowed exemptions for those using non-Chinese wafers
or at least four solar components (such as silver paste, aluminum frames, glass, backsheets,
EVA sheets, junction boxes) made outside China. Consequently, affected companies have
been adjusting their supply chains, leading to record-high imports from these four countries
into the United States.
The Committee, comprising domestic manufacturers like First Solar, Mission Solar, and AMPS,
filed the second petition due to the inadequate protection offered by the initial measures
against the influx of imports.
Tim Brightbill, the lead attorney representing AASMTC, welcomed the USITC’s preliminary
determination, stating, “The investigations provided substantial evidence of these four
countries engaging in illegal dumping and subsidizing of solar cells and modules, harming
American companies and workers, and causing volatility and cost uncertainty in the U.S. solar
market. Unfair trade practices by these predominantly Chinese-owned companies have
resulted in billions of dollars’ worth of underpriced solar products flooding the U.S. market,
driving prices down by more than 50% over the past year. This makes it nearly impossible for
U.S. manufacturers to compete, jeopardizing critical investments in solar manufacturing
across the country. We now look forward to the Department of Commerce advancing its
investigations into dumping and subsidies by these four countries.”
The Department of Commerce is expected to announce its preliminary countervailing duty
determinations around July 18, 2024, and its preliminary antidumping duty determinations
around October 1, 2024
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