Proposed AD/CVD tariffs would ‘devastate’ US solar sector and put 18GW of projects at risk, DOC told

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A Texas solar project from Enel Green Power North America, one of the more than 190 companies that has written to the US Department of Commerce. Image: Enel Green Power North America.

More than 190 US solar companies have warned that proposed duties on imports of modules and cells from three Southeast Asian countries represent an “immediate and serious threat” to America’s solar sector.

In a letter sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the companies said the proposed tariffs would thwart US efforts to effectively tackle climate change and threaten the livelihoods of more than 230,000 American solar workers.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Signed by manufacturers, developers, installers, financiers and service providers across the US solar supply chain, the letter urges the Department of Commerce (DOC) to decline a request to initiate circumvention investigations recently filed by an anonymous group.

Dubbed the American Solar Manufacturers Against Chinese Circumvention, or A-SMACC, the group last month called for the launch of investigations into several solar manufacturers accused of circumventing anti-dumping and countervailing duties by using entities based in Southeast Asia.

The petitions now before the DOC would create 50-250% duties on imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) modules and cells from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which said the three targeted countries account for 80% of all module imports to the US. The trade association said the duties could jeopardise the deployment of 18GW of US solar by 2023.

“I cannot overstate the dire threat that these reckless petitions are imposing on hundreds of thousands of American families,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA CEO. “The anonymous petitioners are asking the Department of Commerce to not only misinterpret US law, but also overturn a decade of department decisions in solar trade cases, all to benefit a few anonymous petitioners at the expense of the entire US solar economy.”

The duties “would devastate” the US solar industry and each of the more than 190 companies, according to the letter, which claims “the petitions are also designed to avoid a full and fair inquiry” into whether CSPV cell and module imports from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand are subsidised or sold to the US at less than fair value.

The petitions were filed on behalf of A-SMACC by law firm Wiley. A statement from the group published by Wiley last month said the filing would level the playing field for US solar manufacturers.

“For too long, obvious circumvention of antidumping and countervailing duties on Chinese solar products has hobbled the US industry, eviscerated our supply chains, and put our clean energy future at risk. It is time for America to lead in this critical sector,” the statement said.

Days after that petition was filed, NextEra Energy called on the DOC to either force A-SMACC to reveal its members or to scrap its tariff request. The utility also requested that the department set a deadline for interested parties to submit comments related to the initiation of the anti-circumvention requests, which it said would be consistent with recent circumvention proceedings.

A DOC spokesperson subsequently confirmed to PV Tech that the department had received NextEra’s letter and was evaluating the nature of its requests.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
March 19, 2024
Texas, USA
Solar Media Events
March 26, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA