U.S. photo voltaic firms warn that proposed tariffs would devastate new initiatives By Reuters

(Reuters) -A U.S. photo voltaic trade group warned on Wednesday that tariffs on imported panels from three Asian international locations would jeopardize almost 30% of the photo voltaic capability the nation is anticipated to put in over the subsequent two years.

The Commerce Division is poised to determine by end-September whether or not to launch a commerce investigation into photo voltaic cells and modules from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. These international locations account for 80% of all panel imports into america, the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) mentioned in a press release.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the SEIA mentioned the duties – proposed by an nameless group of home producers final month – can be devastating to the expansion of the renewable power sector.

“We can not emphasize sufficient how damaging these tariffs can be to our firms and all the American photo voltaic trade,” mentioned the letter signed by almost 200 photo voltaic firms.

The tariffs would jeopardize 18 gigawatts (GW) of photo voltaic initiatives by 2023, the SEIA mentioned, sufficient to energy about 3.4 million properties. The U.S. trade is anticipated to put in a mixed 63 GW in 2022 and 2023, based on a forecast from analysis agency Wooden Mackenzie.

Final month, a gaggle calling itself the American Photo voltaic Producers In opposition to Chinese language Circumvention requested the Commerce Division to analyze unfair imports from the three international locations. They accuse Chinese language producers of shifting manufacturing to these nations to keep away from U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties on cells and panels made in China.

The businesses calling for the probe and tariffs wouldn’t determine themselves on account of a worry of retaliation within the market.

The petition is the newest in a string of efforts by the small U.S. photo voltaic manufacturing sector to hunt commerce treatments to permit their merchandise to compete with cheaper Asian panels that dominate the market. SEIA for years has opposed tariffs on photo voltaic imports as a result of these merchandise have fueled the sector’s progress.