Turkey sets minimum price for solar cell imports

The Turkish government has published new regulations regarding imports of solar cells. The new rules will go into force within 30 days from the date of publication.

They follow the publication of provisions published in 2021, which state that the import duty on solar modules has to be calculated per kilogram, rather than by square meter, as was the case under the previous regulation. Under the government's new calculation method, the minimum price for imports of solar cells will be $60/kg.

Hakki Karacaoglan, the CEO of Germany-based consultancy KRC Energy, said that the new rules could drive down the market share of imported cells in the Turkish PV market, as they favor local manufacturers.

“But as defined in the regulation, the $60/kg value currently does not affect the business, since a kilogram of cells is already more expensive than $60,” he told pv magazine. “This may change, however, if polysilicon and solar cell prices will drop, as expected, or if the government will decide to increase further the $60 threshold.”

If Turkish module manufacturers decide to import solar cells above the $60/kg limit, they will be hit with import duties.

There are currently two manufacturers in Turkey that also produce or plan to produce solar cells – Kalyon Solar Technologies in Ankara and Smart Solar Technologies in Izmir. Kalyon Solar has secured TRY 7.62 billion ($410 million) of funding from the Turkish government to set up a 2 GW vertically integrated solar factory while Smart Solar Technologies has obtained TRY 3.7 billion for a 2 GW factory.