Following Monday’s news that the US is considering placing tariffs on Southeast Asian solar imports following complaints from US manufacturers, preliminary duties have been put in place.
An official statement was released on October 1 by the International Trade Administration. The statement highlights that antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into crystalline PV cells from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have yielded affirmative results so far.
Antidumping and countervailing duty investigations began in May, with an announcement on May 15.
Discourse accusing Asian solar imports of flooding the market with cheap imports has been ongoing, with US manufacturers explaining that these imports threaten their operations and solar supply chain.
According to Bloomberg, the Southeast Asian countries targeted provide the majority of solar cell and module imports in the US. Therefore, increased equipment prices are expected to appear imminently.
The investigations are expected to continue into spring 2025, with rates possibly rising, lowering, or scrapping in that time.
Investigations are also currently underway by the Commerce Department into whether Southeast Asian countries have been dumping solar imports in the US to sell for less than the production rate. Results are expected in November.
The new preliminary rates are:
- Thailand: 23.06%
- Malaysia: 9.13%
- Cambodia: 8.25%
- Vietnam: 2.85%
Background
Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are facing the culmination of 12 years of fallout following the first duties on Chinese solar imports 12 years ago. To avoid tariffs, Chinese manufacturers began operating out of these Southeast Asian countries.
However, Chinese manufacturers have also argued that the tariffs will negatively impact the uptake of solar technologies worldwide, and hinder efforts to combat climate change.
