SolarWorld Industries Americas Inc. (Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S.) has stated that if the International Trade Commission (ITC) rules in favor of tariffs on Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) cell exports to the United States, it will immediately seek a separate enforcement action to include PV modules manufactured in China.

SolarWorld made this declaration both in a statement following the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) ruling and in an interview with Solar Server. In the Solar Server interview, SolarWorld Head of Corporate Communications and Sustainability Ben Santarris referenced both potential action in the U.S. congress and planned future legal action.


DOC modification of scope leads to increased imports

The original petition, SolarWorld had sought trade action on both PV cells and modules, however the DOC had ruled that it would only cover PV cells originating in China, whether or not they are assembled into modules in China or a third nation.

Both SolarWorld and the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE), which opposes the trade case, have noted that this narrowing of the scope to only PV cells has made the trade action far less impactful than it otherwise would have been.

A number of Chinese PV producers have increased their sourcing of PV cells from Taiwan for use in modules destined for the U.S. market, increasing Taiwanese cell production utilization rates. Lux Research Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) has also noted that U.S. PV imports from Malaysia, the Philippines and other Asian nations have increased since the DOC's preliminary ruling.

For Solar Server's full interview with SolarWorld Americas Head of Corporate Communication and Sustainability Ben Santarris, see www.solarserver.com.

2012-10-12 | Courtesy: SolarWorld | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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