The U.S. Worldwide Commerce Fee (USITC) immediately decided that there’s a affordable indication that the U.S. photo voltaic panel manufacturing trade is materially injured by imports of silicon photo voltaic cells and panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The Fee will now cross the decision-making baton to the Dept. of Commerce, which can determine if it needs to provoke antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) earlier than the top of the 12 months.
The American Alliance for Photo voltaic Manufacturing Commerce Committee (AASMTC) filed the petition for the AD/CVD investigation in April. It’s the second AD/CVD investigation on photo voltaic merchandise coming from Southeast Asia. In August 2023, Commerce prolonged AD/CVD to photo voltaic producers working in Southeast Asia, however allowed producers that use non-Chinese language wafers or a minimum of 4 photo voltaic elements (silver paste, aluminum frames, glass, backsheets, EVA sheets, junction containers) made outdoors of China to be exempt from the AD/CVD orders. Affected firms have been relocating their provide chains within the final two years to provide non-circumventing photo voltaic merchandise, and imports from the 4 international locations have by no means been increased in the USA.
The Committee, which incorporates home producers First Photo voltaic, Mission Photo voltaic and Qcells as members, submitted the second AD/CVD petition because of the unsuccessful first AD/CVD measure to guard home producers from a flood of imports.
Tim Brightbill, the lead lawyer representing AASMTC, mentioned the Committee appreciates the USITC’s affirmative preliminary dedication.
“The preliminary investigations offered substantial and detailed proof of those 4 international locations participating in unlawful dumping and subsidizing of photo voltaic cells and modules, which is harming our firms and American employees and inflicting damage in addition to creating super volatility and value uncertainty within the U.S. home photo voltaic market,” he mentioned. “Due to the unfair commerce practices of those largely Chinese language-owned and -headquartered firms, billions of {dollars} of unfairly priced photo voltaic merchandise have crushed the U.S. market, inflicting costs within the U.S. to fall by greater than 50% within the final 12 months. This makes it almost unattainable for U.S. producers to compete, and endangers the critically vital investments being made in photo voltaic manufacturing all throughout the USA. We now sit up for the U.S. Dept. of Commerce shifting forward on its vital investigations of dumping and subsidies by all 4 international locations.”
Commerce’s preliminary countervailing obligation determinations are due on or about July 18, 2024, and its preliminary antidumping obligation determinations are due on or about October 1, 2024.
