India seeks to ‘rationalise’ safeguard duty recommendation

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A Safeguard duty would be imposed on all developed countries provided they account for more than 3% of the total product supplied. Credit: Trina

India’s newly-formed Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) will hold a public hearing regarding the case on whether to impose Safeguard Duties on imports of solar cells and modules on 26 June in New Delhi.

DGTR noted that it expected a large number of attendees and therefore a maximum of two representatives from any party could attend, but requests for more than two attendees can be made by 10 June. Additional secretary Sunil Kumar will oversee the meeting.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Several Indian media reports recently said that the Delhi High Court had disposed a petition from Indian developer Acme Solar challenging the proposed Safeguard Duty, for which a 70% duty for 200 days had been recommended by the Directorate General of Safeguards’ (DGS) back in December 2017. The court reportedly said the recommendation was not binding.

However, Mudit Jain, a consultant at Bridge to India, said the Indian government has now gone back to the DGS for a new recommendation on the provisional duty amount. He told PV Tech that 70% would be “much more detrimental” to the market and therefore the government is seeking to “rationalise” the duty. Indeed when first announced, analysts had claimed that a 70% duty would derail the entire National Solar Mission.

Remarking on the 26 June meeting, Jain said the aim is to find out whether there are grounds for imposing a duty and to discover what the final duty would be. Giving his personal opinion, Jain suspected that a final duty of 20% could be imposed.

The investigation was kick-started after a petition from the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA) last year, on behalf of domestic manufacturers including Mundra Solar (Adani), Indosolar, Jupiter Solar, Websol Energy Systems and Helios.

This April, India also launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of EVA sheets for solar modules from China, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, in March, the Directorate General of Anti Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) terminated its anti-dumping investigation regarding imports of solar cells from China, Malaysia and Taiwan, but a fresh filing from the petitioners, the ISMA, covering a new period of injury could still be expected.

Read Next

October 9, 2025
Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries has agreed to acquire ReNew’s 300MW solar power unit in India for around US$246 million.
October 9, 2025
Avaada has inked an MoU with the Gujarat government to develop solar, wind, and BESS worth INR36 billion (US$405 million). 
October 8, 2025
Saatvik Green Energy has secured new solar PV module orders worth more than INR7 billion (US$84 million), to be delivered in this financial year.
October 7, 2025
Juniper Green Energy through its subsidiary Juniper Green Sigma Eight has signed a 70MW power purchase agreement with renewable energy giant Tata Power. 
October 6, 2025
Indian infrastructure company focused on rooftop and ground-based solar power installations, PVV Infra has secured solar power orders worth INR7.9 billion (US$90 million) through two of its subsidiaries. 
October 6, 2025
Indian solar developer ACME Group has established a new subsidiary to manage its renewable equipment manufacturing business, under which it is planning to scale production of TOPCon PV modules.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK