US Government to Review Tariff Policies on Solar Panel Imports from India, Indonesia, and Laos

U.S. Commerce Department to Announce Preliminary Decision on Anti-Subsidy Duties

On Monday, the U.S. Commerce Department will release a preliminary decision on whether to impose countervailing duties on solar cells and panels imported from India, Laos, and Indonesia. This announcement marks the first of two expected decisions from the agency in the coming weeks regarding a trade case brought by the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade.

The trade case, filed in July, accuses Chinese companies of shifting production to Indonesia and Laos, and Indian-headquartered manufacturers of dumping cheap goods in the United States. The alliance, which includes South Korea's Hanwha Qcells and Arizona-based First Solar, is seeking to protect billions of dollars in investments in U.S. factories.

The Commerce Department will consider whether companies operating in the three countries received unfair government subsidies that make American products uncompetitive. A separate decision next month will determine whether those companies flooded the U.S. market at prices below their cost of production.

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The group has previously succeeded in winning tariffs on imports from countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. The Commerce Department is expected to make final determinations on these trade cases later this year.