US set to decide on tariffs for solar panels from India, Laos & Indonesia amid fair-trade concerns

The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday will ​reveal a preliminary ​decision on whether to impose anti-subsidy ​duties on solar cells and panels imported from India, Laos and Indonesia.

The announcement is the first of two ‌expected by ⁠the ⁠agency in the coming weeks in a trade case ​brought by a group representing a portion of the small ​U.S. solar manufacturing sector. Commerce is likely to make final determinations later this year.

Monday's decision on ​countervailing duties will consider whether companies ⁠operating in ‌the three countries received unfair ​government subsidies ​that make American products uncompetitive. Commerce ⁠is set to make a separate decision ​next month on whether those companies flooded ​the U.S. market at prices below their cost of production.


The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade includes South Korea's Hanwha Qcells and Arizona-based First Solar, which are seeking ‌to protect billions of dollars in investments in U.S. factories.

The group's petition, filed ​in July, ​accuses Chinese companies ⁠of shifting production from nations that received U.S. tariffs to Indonesia and Laos, and also accuses Indian-headquartered manufacturers ​of dumping cheap goods in the United States.

The group has succeeded previously in winning tariffs on imports from countries in Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.