US President Joe Biden will allow tariff-free imports for 24 months of solar panels from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
Since March ended, hundreds of large-scale solar power plants in the US have been put on hold. The Commerce Department opened an investigation into imports of PV panels from four Asian countries.
After Auxin Solar, a US manufacturer of solar products, filed a petition against Chinese companies, accusing them in violation of US duties by shipping panels made in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia. They also insist that they are subject to prohibitive tariffs up to 250%.
According to the study, the proclamation will take place amid concerns over the impact of the long-running investigation.
“There is going to be this safe harbour timeout on the … collection of duties, and that’s at the heart of what’s going to save all of these solar projects and ensure that they are going forward,” said one source familiar with the White House’s plans.
The American Clean Power Association’s study has found that 24 GW of solar PV project cancellations or delays is possible due to the probe. According to the industry association, the four countries that are the focus of the probe account for around 80% of solar imports into the US.
The US received solar cells worth US$1.07 billion from Thailand in 2021. This represents 49% of total solar cell exports to Thailand.
Discover more from SolarQuarter
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
