A group of U.S. solar panel makers has urged the Commerce Department to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports from Indonesia, Laos, and India, alleging that the manufacturers are flooding the U.S. market with underpriced products to weaken local competition, according to a report by Reuters.
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade submitted the petition to safeguard billions in domestic investments and remain competitive against products largely manufactured by Chinese firms. The petition alleges that that Indian firms and predominantly Chinese-owned manufacturers in Indonesia and Laos are violating trade rules by undermining U.S. solar producers and flooding the market with low-cost imports.
The alliance has previously imposed tariffs on solar imports from Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. As imports from other South Asian countries declined, Indonesia and Laos emerged to meet the demand. In May, these two nations accounted for 44% of U.S. solar cell and module imports, a sharp rise from just 1.9% during the same period last year, according to Bloomberg data. Meanwhile, India’s solar exports to the U.S. have been steadily increasing since mid-2022.
In addition to various unlawful subsidies, the petitioners also reported dumping margins of 89.65% for Indonesia, 245.79% to 249.09% for Laos, and 213.96% for India.
The petition was backed by companies such as First Solar, Mission Solar Energy, and Qcells, along with support from Talon PV Solar Solutions.
The recent trade petition has triggered an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce to determine if the imports are being sold at unfair prices or are receiving foreign government subsidies. Meanwhile, the U.S. International Trade Commission will assess whether the imports have negatively impacted the domestic industry. If the claims are validated, new tariffs could be introduced, Bloomberg News reported.
The Trump administration also initiated a Section 232 investigation under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 targeting Chinese polysilicon—a key raw material in solar panel production.
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