India, Indonesia, Laos Solar Imports Injure US: ITC — SkimNews
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- ITC ruled Wednesday that U.S. solar manufacturing was materially injured by crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell imports from India, Indonesia, and Laos, aligning with the Commerce Department's finding last month.
- India faces the steepest rates, with dumping margins of 123% for all producers and countervailing duty rates of 126% — described by the petitioners' lawyer as "prohibitive."
- Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, led by First Solar, Hanwha Qcells USA, and Mission Solar Energy, petitioned for the investigation and expects Commerce to issue final AD/CVD orders on Nov. 2.
- Commerce Department is set to issue final AD/CVD orders on Nov. 2, with the ITC's full report due Nov. 23 — effectively closing the route Chinese-owned companies used to set up operations in Indonesia and Laos, per the petitioners' lawyer.
- Ethiopia has emerged as the third-largest source of U.S. solar imports, with shipments surging more than 3,000% in the past 12 months; the alliance alleges these are largely Chinese products "shifting operations" and has a Commerce inquiry underway.
- The solar industry is divided: domestic manufacturers backed the petitions, while the American Clean Power Association called a similar 2022 probe a "disaster" that "effectively freezes development in the U.S. solar industry."
- The ruling follows a 2023 case targeting Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where 2025 subsidy rates hit 3,403.96% for four Cambodian exporters, and coincides with a Trump administration Section 232 polysilicon tariff taking effect Dec. 4.
Why it matters: Prohibitive tariffs of 123% on India alone hand domestic manufacturers like First Solar and Hanwha Qcells a major win while potentially raising costs for U.S. solar developers reliant on cheap foreign cells — and Ethiopian imports are already surging 3,000%+ as Chinese-linked supply chains shift to the next available route, with a separate Commerce inquiry now underway.
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