US Finalizes Tariffs on Southeast Asian Solar Imports

U.S. trade officials finalized tariff levels on solar cells and panels from Southeast Asia, a key step toward wrapping up a year-old trade case brought by American manufacturers that accuse their overseas rivals of flooding the market with unfairly cheap goods.

The decision comes after the Commerce Department last year imposed preliminary antidumping and anti-subsidy countervailing duties on solar equipment from Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The case was brought by Korea's Hanwha Qcells, Arizona-based First Solar Inc, and several smaller producers seeking to protect billions of dollars in investments in U.S. solar manufacturing.

The group, the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, accused big Chinese solar panel makers with factories in Southeast Asia of shipping panels priced below their cost of production and of receiving unfair subsidies that make American goods uncompetitive.

The group was not immediately available for comment.

According to a decision posted on the U.S. Commerce Department's website on Monday, the agency calculated dumping duties of 6.1% to 271.28%, depending on the company and country. Anti-subsidy countervailing duties were between 14.64% and 3,403.96%.

The tariffs will apply to shipments from some of the biggest global solar panel manufacturers, including China's Jinko Solar and Trina Solar, according to the Commerce Department.

In order for the tariffs to be finalized, the International Trade Commission must vote in June on whether the industry was materially harmed by the dumped and subsidized imports.