Section 201 solar tariffs excluded from Trump’s new import reprieve

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image credit: Mobilus In Mobili / Flickr

The Trump administration has staged its latest move against solar imports, preserving PV tariffs even as it temporarily scrapped them for other importers.

In recent days, the US president signed an executive order allowing the US Treasury to suspend for about three months the duties, taxes, and fees applied to US importers, a segment the government believes has faced “significant financial hardship” as COVID-19 cases spiralled nationwide.

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

In changes presented alongside the federal agency for customs and border protection (CBP), the US Treasury explained the 90-day deferment period will not extend to goods covered by Section 201 (solar tariffs), Section 232, Section 301 and antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD).

Along with all other aforementioned categories, the payments and deadlines for Section 201 tariffs and fees for solar imports – currently 20% but set to decline to 15% on February 21 – will remain unchanged, the US Treasury and CBP said.

Rolled out by the Trump administration in 2018, the Section 201 duties have long been resisted by US downstream solar players, amid talk of “devastating harm” for the industry. US official reviews have produced a mixed picture on their effectiveness, finding that domestic manufacturers – particularly cell makers – have continued to face extensive losses despite the import barriers.

Trump doubles down on PV tariffs as sector jobs take hit

The decision by the US Treasury and CBS marks the latest instance of solar being left out from federal COVID-19 aid. Last month, attempts to include renewable support in a bipartisan US$2 trillion relief package proved unsuccessful.

Trump’s willingness to retain solar import tariffs at a time of economic downturns comes amid parallel efforts in his administration to extend the barriers to bifacial. In recent days, the US Trade Representative (USTR) has restated its plans to scrap bifacial’s exemption, which it itself had introduced last June.

As reported by PV Tech this week, the USTR’s intention to remove the Section 201 reprieve for two-sided solar components cannot materialise until an injunction, granted by the courts last year, is lifted. Court documents from February 2020 show the lawsuit pitting Invenergy and others against the US administration is still awaiting final judgement.

Every passing week since the COVID-19 first struck the US has seen new statistics and forecasts come to light, painting a picture of disruption for the solar industry. From layoffs for US residential players to dampened growth prospects for utility-scale, key segments are all affected.

Analysis by E2, ACORE, E4TheFuture and BW Research Partnership suggested last week that more than 106,000 US clean energy workers filed for unemployment benefits in March 2020 alone, cancelling out job gains the entire sector had seen throughout 2019.

PV Tech has set up a dedicated tracker to map out how the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting solar supply chains worldwide. You can read the latest updates here.

If you have a COVID-19 statement to share or a story on how the pandemic is disrupting a solar business anywhere in the world, do get in touch at [email protected] or [email protected].

21 May 2024
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 21-22 May 2024, will be our third PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2025 and beyond.
8 October 2024
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 8-9 October 2024 is our second PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The event in 2023 was a sell out success and 2024 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
26 November 2024
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2025. PV ModuleTech Europe 2024 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA
Solar Media Events
April 17, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
May 1, 2024
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
May 21, 2024
Napa, USA