Argentina to extend exemption from custom duties for solar imports until the end of 2018

Argentina will continue exempting imports of PV components from custom duties, according to local newspaper Clarín citing a statement from the country’s minister of energy and mines, Juan José Aranguren.

According to him, the government will publish a decree next week to extend the exemption, which was scheduled to expire at the end of this year, for another 12 months until the end of 2018. The exemption from custom duties for equipment to be used in wind power projects, instead, was extended by only six months.

The current legislation exempts PV and wind power project developers from paying duties of up to 14% on the imports of the projects’ required components, such as solar modules and inverters.

The expiration of the exemption may have put in danger several large-scale solar projects currently under development in Argentina, especially those selected in the second round (Ronda 1.5) of the RenovAr program, in which 516 MW of solar capacity was allocated, and those that will be selected in the third round, which is currently being held and is expected to assign contracts for 400 MW of PV.

Argentinian authorities launched in mid-August Round 2, comprising 1.2 GW of projects, of which 450 MW have been set aside for solar PV. The RenovAr program was initiated last year with the Round 1 and 1.5 tenders, in which more than 2.5 GW were awarded in renewable energy projects, around 900 MW of which was allocated for PV.

By the end of the year, Argentina aims to source 8% of electricity needs from renewable sources, and its 2025 target stands at 20%. According to the latest available data, 59% of the electricity generated in Argentina comes from fossil fuels.