USITC continues Southeast Asia AD/CVD investigation

June 10, 2024
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The US ITC has set a preliminary countervailing duty determination due date on or about 18 July 2024. Image: Port of Los Angeles.

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has decided to continue its investigation into the imports of crystalline silicon PV cells from Southeast Asia.

USITC chair David S Johanson and all three commissioners voted in favour of continuing the antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation as the commission determined a “reasonable indication” for the US industry to be “materially injured” from imports of solar PV cells – whether or not assembled into modules – from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

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

This is not the only decision from the USITC, as it also determined a “reasonable indication” that solar PV cells – regardless of whether or not they are being assembled into modules – coming from Cambodia may be subsidised by the Cambodian government.

With the investigation going forward, the USITC set a preliminary countervailing duty determination due date on or about 18 July 2024, while preliminary antidumping duty determinations due on or about 1 October 2024.

New solar PV AD/CVD tariff

The latest AD/CVD petition was brought by a coalition of solar manufacturers, including First Solar, Meyer Burger and Qcells, among others, in April this year under the banner of the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee. The petition seeks an investigation into the practices of solar manufacturers in the four named countries, which is now continuing its course.

This petition is not related to the one brought forward by Auxin Solar in February 2022, which ultimately found five companies – Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, BYD Hong Kong, New East Solar and LONGi-owned Vina Solar – to be shipping some of their products through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam for “minor processing” before shipping them on to the US.

Module manufacturer LONGi has also had to face rumours concerning its facilities in Southeast Asia and whether or not it plans to shut down its plants in Vietnam and Malaysia. These rumours arose only days after the moratorium on collecting duties on solar imports from Southeast Asia expired at the beginning of the month.

US tightens policy against China

Trade tariffs and policy measures have accelerated in the past few weeks in the US, with the Biden administration announcing a tariff increase on solar cells – which jumps from 25% to 50% under Section 301 – or the removal of tariff exemptions on bifacial solar modules, which represent nearly 90% of PV module imports.

The combination of these measures, along with the AD/CVD investigation, could “significantly disadvantage products from Southeast Asia in the US market,” Clean Energy Associates said last month in a report that examined the impacts of each measure.

16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth 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 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

October 23, 2025
US solar manufacturer T1 Energy sold approximately 725MW of solar modules in Q3 2025, as it continues to expand US manufacturing capabilities.
October 22, 2025
Recurrent Energy, Ampliform and Dimension Energy have announced new financing rounds this month for US solar projects.
October 22, 2025
Leeward Renewable Energy has started commercial operations at its 177MW Ridgely solar project in the US state of Tennessee.
October 22, 2025
US thin-film manufacturer First has revealed another transfer of its 45X manufacturing tax credits in a deal worth around US$775 million.
October 22, 2025
Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of US trade association the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), has decided to step down from her roles at the end of January 2026.
October 21, 2025
Leading Chinese solar manufacturer Trinasolar has signed a module supply agreement with Malaysian renewable energy developer Mestron Energy.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Lisbon, Portugal