US sets preliminary antidumping duties on solar imports from India, Indonesia and Laos

The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday announced ​preliminary antidumping duties on ​solar cells and panels imported from India, Indonesia and ​Laos, the latest in a string of tariffs imposed over a decade on solar imports from Asia.

With the decision, federal trade officials sided with domestic solar factory ‌owners in ⁠finding that ⁠companies operating in the three countries dumped cheap goods in the U.S. market.

According to ​a fact sheet posted 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.


Also Read: India weighs petitions on mandate for domestic solar cells


The ​three nations last year accounted for $4.5 billion ⁠in U.S. solar ‌imports, about two-thirds of the total, according to government ​trade ​data.

The decision is a blow to producers in ⁠those nations who were supplying goods to the fast-growing ​U.S. market. The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and ​Trade, which filed the petition, includes Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar , Qcells, the solar division of Korea's Hanwha , and private companies Talon PV and Mission Solar.

"The preliminary determinations confirm that producers in these countries are dumping solar cells and modules into the U.S. market ‌at unfairly low prices, undercutting American-made products and distorting market competition at a pivotal moment for the domestic manufacturing ​sector," the ​Alliance said in ⁠a statement.

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

Also Read:ReNew to set up 6.5 GW solar facility in Andhra Pradesh with investment of Rs 4,500 crore

The Commerce Department said ​it would announce a final decision on or around July 13 for solar cells from India and Indonesia, and a decision for imports from Laos on or around September 9. The agency also announced preliminary countervailing duties on the three countries in February.