USITC continues AD/CVD investigation in Southeast Asia

This is not the only decision made by the USITC. It also found that there was a “reasonable indication” that photovoltaic cells originating in Cambodia – whether or not they are assembled into modules – could be subsidized by the Cambodian government.

In view of the further investigation, the USITC has set a due date for the provisional determination of the countervailing duties as July 18, 2024, or thereabouts, while the provisional determination of the anti-dumping duties is to be set as October 1, 2024, or thereabouts.

New AD/CVD tariff for photovoltaic systems

The latest AD/CVD petition was filed in April of this year by a coalition of solar manufacturers, including First Solar, Meyer Burger and Qcells, under the banner of the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee. The petition calls for an investigation into the practices of solar manufacturers in the four countries mentioned, which is now underway.

This filing is not related to Auxin Solar’s February 2022 filing, which ultimately found that five companies – Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, BYD Hong Kong, New East Solar and LONGi-owned Vina Solar – ship some of their products through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam for “minor processing” before shipping them to the United States.

Module maker LONGi also had to deal with rumors about its factories in Southeast Asia and whether it plans to close its factories in Vietnam and Malaysia. These rumors emerged just days after the moratorium on tariffs on solar imports from Southeast Asia expired earlier this month.

USA tightens policy towards China

In the US, trade tariffs and policy actions have accelerated in recent weeks: The Biden administration announced an increase in tariffs on solar cells – under Section 301 from 25% to 50% – and the removal of the tariff exemption for bifacial solar modules, which account for nearly 90% of PV module imports.

The combination of these measures, along with the AD/CVD investigation, could “significantly disadvantage Southeast Asian products in the U.S. market,” Clean Energy Associates said last month in a report examining the impact of each measure.