India's Department of Commerce recommends anti-dumping duties of USD 0.11-0.81 per watt on solar PV from four nations

29/05/2014 12:00 - 462 Views

India's Department of Commerce has recommended anti-dumping tariffs of USD 0.11-0.81 per watt on imports of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United States.

First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) has received the lowest recommended duty rate of USD 0.11 per watt for its PV modules manufactured in the United States. All other U.S. PV makers would be subject to USD 0.48 per watt, and Chinese PV makers have received recommended duties of USD 0.64-0.81 per watt.

Unlike solar trade investigations in the United States, the EU and Australia, India's trade investigation covered thin film PV as well. As thin film PV makers typically do not export cells, this means that these tariffs will be applied to the modules.

India's Ministry of Finance will have three months to study the case and make a final ruling, although it is likely to adopt the tariffs.

Give-away to First Solar?

India has also proposed tariffs of USD 0.62 per watt on Malaysian PV, and USD 0.59 per watt on Taiwanese PV makers. This would nearly double the price of PV products from China, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Given its relatively low duty rate, if adopted these duties could ensure that First Solar is one of the only top-tier foreign PV makers that will continue to access the Indian market. Japanese PV makers have been exporting very little given the strong demand in their domestic market, and all other major PV makers manufacture primarily in one of the four nations subject to tariffs.

Mercom Capital LLC (Austin, Texas, U.S.) has warned that tariffs will damage the “young and fragile” Indian PV market, and has previously said that it will revise down its 2014 market forecast of 1 GW for the nation if tariffs are imposed.

Source: Solar Server