The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has agreed to an investigation into whether solar panels from Southeast Asia are disrupting US manufacturing, potentially leading to tariffs.
Four members of the USITC — Chair David Johansen and Commissioners Rhonda Schmittlin, Jason Kearns and Amy Corbel — voted unanimously to investigate imports of solar panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. They note that there is a ‘fair indication’ that the US PV industry is being harmed by solar cells and solar panels from 4 countries.
7 manufacturers
The vote is the latest step in response to a request by the U.S. Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Group, which last April asked the U.S. government to intervene against illegal trade practices involving solar panels from manufacturers in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The alliance consists of 7 manufacturers: Konwald Energy, First Solar, Meyer Burger, Mission Solar, Qcells, REC Silicon and Swift Solar.
They accuse Chinese companies of flooding the US market with solar panels from factories in 4 countries. The USITC will now determine whether the domestic industry is harmed by the imports. The US Department of Commerce must decide which import duties to impose.
Provisional resolutions on so-called countervailing duties are due by July 18, and provisional resolutions on anti-dumping duties by October 1, 2024.