The body affirmed on Friday that it will continue the probe into the manufacturers, based in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Proponents of the investigation have accused Chinese companies of using those manufacturers to circumvent tariffs on solar panel components. The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox.
Link Copied! Workers work at the Trina Solar project site in Huai 'an, Jiangsu province in China on February 14, 2023. After a more than year-long investigation, federal officials have concluded that five Chinese solar panel companies have been skirting US tariff laws by routing their operations through four other Southeast Asian countries.
Recent US presidential administrations from both parties have levied tariffs on imported solar panels. In 2012, the Obama administration imposed tariffs on Chinese solar manufacturers under anti-dumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) laws.
Tariffs on solar wafers, polysilicon, and certain tungsten products from China are going to rise dramatically come January 1st, 2025, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. That means higher price tags on key materials needed to make solar panels at a time when solar is the fastest growing source of electricity in the US.
Tariffs on certain tungsten products will go from zero to 25 percent. Chinese companies produce more than 75 percent of the world’s polysilicon. Considering all the manufacturing stages for solar panels, which includes polysilicon and wafers, China holds more than 80 percent of global capacity. American manufacturers welcomed the changes.
A Commerce Department official said Friday that five of them – BYD Hong Kong, Canadian Solar, New East Solar, Trina and Vina Solar – should have additional tariffs imposed on them.