The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee (AASMTC) has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) over the surge in solar imports from Vietnam and Thailand, which it claims is harming the U.S. solar industry. The complaint, filed on August 15, 2024, follows a significant rise in imports from these countries, with a 39% increase from Vietnam and a 17% increase from Thailand between April and June 2024 compared to the first quarter of the year.
The complaint comes after the AASMTC, represented by the law firm Wiley Rein, filed anti-dumping and countervailing duty petitions in April 2024. The surge in imports during this period exceeded average levels recorded in the previous six months. For instance, imports from Vietnam reached an unprecedented 2.5 GW in June 2024 and averaged 2.3 GW per month between April and June, compared to less than 1.5 GW per month in the previous half-year.
Tim Brightbill, co-chair of Wiley’s International Trade Practice and lead counsel for the petitioners, stated that several China-based companies operating in Vietnam and Thailand seem to have accelerated their U.S. exports to evade potential duties. This prompted the committee to file critical circumstances allegations, which could lead to retroactive duties if the DOC finds that these imports surged rapidly enough to undermine the relief sought by the domestic industry.
The DOC launched an investigation into the AASMTC’s petitions in May 2024, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) issued a preliminary determination in June, affirming that dumped and subsidized imports from Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand are injuring U.S. solar manufacturers.
The DOC is expected to make preliminary determinations on countervailing duties by late September 2024 and anti-dumping duties by late November 2024, with final determinations likely in spring 2025. The outcome could impose retroactive duties on imports from these countries, impacting the U.S. solar market.
Source: energy-box.com