Facing subsidy and dumping claims, solar exports from India, Indonesia, and Laos come under US probe.
The US Department of Commerce has initiated anti-dumping and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations into imports of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules from India, Indonesia, and Laos for calendar year 2024. The move follows a petition filed on July 17 by the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, alleging unfair trade practices.
The petitions cover crystalline silicon PV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, and claim that the three countries provide subsidies to their solar cell producers, causing or threatening significant harm to the US domestic industry. Commerce has determined that the petitions have sufficient industry backing and will proceed with investigations. For India, the probe will examine 84 alleged subsidy programs, with the investigation period spanning January 1 to December 31, 2024.
Consultations between the US and Indian governments took place on July 30. The petitioner has identified 43 companies in India, 54 in Indonesia, and eight in Laos as potential exporters involved in the trade practices under scrutiny. The case also argues that imports from each of these nations exceed the negligibility thresholds set under US trade law.
The US market remains critical for Indian exporters, accounting for more than 95% of India’s solar module exports in FY24. Data from Rubix Data Sciences shows that the share of US-bound Indian solar exports surged from about two-thirds in 2022 to over 90% in FY24.
