The Department of Commerce has released a ruling that will put heavy tariffs on solar panels imported from China and Taiwan. The change will close the door on a loophole that allowed Chinese solar panel manufacturers to duck a previous ruling by using solar cells manufactured in Taiwan. The rule will also impose high import taxes on Chinese-imported solar panels as it has been determined that dumping or selling below fair value to receive subsidies from the Chinese government was occurring at margins between 26-165%.
The new duties will apply to most solar panels made in China and Taiwan, with rates from 26.71-78.43% for Chinese solar products and 11.45-27.55% for solar cells manufactured in Taiwan. The ruling will now move to the International Trade Commission, which is scheduled to make injury determinations in late January 2015 and then finalize the ruling and formalize the new tariffs.
“These remedies come just in time to enable the domestic industry to return to conditions of fair trade. The tariffs and scope set the stage for companies to create new jobs and build or expand factories on U.S. soil,” says Mukash Dulani, U.S. president for SolarWorld, the petitioner in the case.
