US solar manufacturers, rejoice! Southeast Asian solar imports tariffed into oblivion

Lately, there’s been a lot of discourse around whether we really want, or even should want, to build everything in the United States of America. Crystalline photovoltaic cells, or simply solar cells, are a prime example. For decades, it hasn’t made much economic sense to mass produce them in North America when they can be acquired cheaply from all over Asia.

But for the last year, at the behest of an alliance of domestic solar manufacturers, Commerce has been conducting an investigation into whether products originating from four Southeast Asian countries have been unfairly flooding the U.S. market, making it impossible to compete.

The import statistics from 2021 to 2023 speak for themselves:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its final affirmative determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of solar cells (whether or not assembled into modules) from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The results? Ready or not, we’re gonna be building more solar cells stateside.

The tariffs levied by Commerce were higher across the board than the preliminary duties announced last December, including some astronomical figures like a more than 3,400% tariff on products from Cambodia, since the companies in question chose not to cooperate with the probe.

“This is a decisive victory for American manufacturing and confirms what we’ve long known: that Chinese-headquartered solar companies have been cheating the system, undercutting U.S. companies, and costing American workers their livelihoods,” said Tim Brightbill, lead counsel for the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, which includes Arizona-based First Solar, Hanwha Q CELLS USA, Inc. (Dalton, GA), and Mission Solar Energy LLC (San Antonio, TX).

“It’s been a big day for U.S. solar manufacturing,” Brightbill added. “We’re really happy with the results.”

First Solar saw its stock price (FSLR) soar Tuesday on the news, climbing double digits. Something similar happened earlier this month when President Trump unveiled crippling tariffs on trade partners around the world.

Final Dumping Rates

Cambodia

*Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Malaysia

*Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Thailand

*Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Vietnam

 *Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Final Subsidy Rates

Cambodia

*Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Malaysia

*Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Thailand

*Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

Vietnam

*Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.

What’s Next?

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is expected to make its final determination on June 2, and orders are expected to be issued one week later, in the event of final affirmative determinations from Commerce and the ITC.

Commerce’s preliminary and final determination deadlines are governed by statute. For AD investigations, the deadlines are set forth in sections 733(b) and 735(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). For CVD investigations, the deadlines are set forth in sections 703(b) and 705(a)(1) of the Act.