A coalition of small United States solar manufacturers has petitioned the Department of Commerce to impose new tariffs on solar panel imports from Laos, Indonesia, and India, alleging unfair trade practices that threaten the domestic industry.
As reported by Reuters , the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade filed the petition on 17 July with both the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission.
The alliance represents several smaller US solar producers seeking protection from foreign competitors they allege are benefiting from government subsidies and dumping products at below-market prices.
According to the petition, firms operating in these nations are selling solar modules at prices below production cost, aided by generous government subsidies.
Imports from the three countries surged to USD 1.6 billion in 2023, up from just USD 289 million in 2022.
The alliance claims many operations in Laos and Indonesia are Chinese-owned companies that relocated to circumvent existing US trade restrictions. These firms moved production after facing prohibitive tariffs on Chinese-made solar products, allowing them to maintain market access through third-country manufacturing.
Indian manufacturers face separate accusations of benefiting from export support schemes, including loans from the Export-Import Bank of India and state-level subsidies in regions like Gujarat and Maharashtra.
This is not the first time the group has acted.
In April, the alliance succeeded in a similar case that led to steep tariffs, some as high as 3,400 percent, on solar imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, after the US government determined those countries were exporting products at unfairly low prices with the help of state subsidies.