duties

According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the 30% import duties on Chinese PV products do not comply with the World Trade Organisation’s rules. The Chinese government added that its solar industry could be seriously damaged.

Despite safeguard tariffs against certain imports of solar PV products into India, Chinese manufactured modules will remain competitive, says TrendForce. It further anticipates PV demand falling 30% in fiscal year 2018 in India, while cost pressures will mount for EPCs and project developers.

There is no official confirmation that a request for a review of the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures against Chinese solar PV manufacturers has been submitted in Brussels in early June, however there are several reasons to believe it has likely happened.

Shortly before the announcement of its acquisition by SunPower, SolarWorld’s former U.S. subsidiary commented on the request by its competitors to be exempt from the new U.S. solar PV import tariffs.

RenewSys India has submitted a petition to the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping & Allied Duties for the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate sheets for solar modules from China PR, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Thailand. Evidence of dumping has been found.

Korea is making good on an earlier promise, and now Japan has joined in. Both nations demand that the Trump Administration reverse the tariffs, or suffer an equivalent volume of retaliatory tariffs.

The list of Chinese products that the Trump Administration is considering for duties under Section 301 spares inverters, solar cells and modules, and the lithium-ion batteries used in EVs and battery storage to accompany PV.

U.S. President Trump has exempt Canada and Mexico from 25% import duties on steel and 10% duties on aluminum, and has further left the door open to exempting any nations with which the United States has a “security relationship”.

The U.S. President has announced a 25% tariff on imported steel and 10% on aluminum. While the details remain unclear, this will inevitably raise prices for solar PV installations.

With the receipt of the final report by the ITC, the Trump Administration now has 60 days to take action on the Section 201 case. The probability of restrictive tariffs is high.