Up to 3,521% US duties on solar imports from SE Asia

The United States set new duties as high as 3,521% on solar imports from four southeast Asian countries, delivering a win for domestic manufacturers while intensifying headwinds already threatening the country's renewable power development.

The duties announced Monday are the culmination of a yearlong trade probe that found solar manufacturers in Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand were unfairly benefiting from government subsidies and selling exports to the US at rates lower than the cost of production. The investigation was sought by domestic solar manufacturers and initiated under former President Joe Biden.

While the duties are set to benefit domestic manufacturers, they also will pinch US renewable developers that have long relied on inexpensive foreign supplies, heightening uncertainty for a sector whipsawed by political and policy changes in Washington.

The levies will be in addition to new widespread tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump that have upended global supply chains and markets. The antidumping and countervailing duties, as they are known, are designed to offset the value of alleged unfair subsidisation and pricing, as calculated by the commerce department.

Domestic production
The decision is a victory for domestic manufacturing that both Trump and Biden have tried to galvanize. Potential beneficiaries include Hanwha Q Cells and First Solar Inc, among others.

Although the promise of subsidies and demand stoked by Biden's Inflation Reduction Act have helped drive interest-and investment-in new domestic solar panel factories across the US, manufacturers warned those factories were imperiled by foreign rivals selling their equipment at below-market prices.

"This is a decisive victory for American manufacturing," said Tim Brightbill, co-chair of Wiley's international trade practice and lead counsel for the coalition of solar companies that pursued the case. The findings confirm "what we've long known: that Chinese-headquartered solar companies have been cheating the system, undercutting US companies and costing American workers their livelihoods," he said.

Countrywide duties were set as high as 3,521% for Cambodia, reflecting the country's decision to stop participating in the investigation, according to the Commerce Department. The US imported $12.9 billion in solar equipment last year from the four countries that would be subject to the new duties, according to BloombergNEF. That represents about 77% of total module imports.

Companies not named in Vietnam face duties of up to 395.9% with Thailand set at 375.2%. Country-wide rates for Malaysia were set at 34.4%. Jinko Solar was assessed duties of about 245% for exports from Vietnam and 40% for exports from Malaysia. Trina Solar in Thailand faces levies of 375% and over 200% from Vietnam. JA Solar modules from Vietnam could be assessed at about 120%.

The US decision was largely anticipated and companies have been moving some manufacturing capacity to tariff-free nations such as Indonesia and Laos.

US, Thailand talks stalled
Meanwhile, talks between the US and Thailand over the Trump administration's plans to impose a 36% tariff has been postponed after Washington asked the southeast Asian nation to address a set of "issues" related to trade, officials said. No new dates have been set for talks after the two sides agreed to postpone negotiations previously slated for April 23, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters Tuesday.