Biden Administration to reverse solar panel trade exemption, boosting US
The Biden administration plans to grant a request by South Korea’s Hanwha Qcells to revoke a two-year-old trade exemption that allowed for the import of dominant solar panel technology from China and other countries to avoid tariffs, Reuters reported citing sources familiar with a White House.
The Qcells request comes as the company seeks to safeguard its $2.5 billion U.S. solar manufacturing expansion from competition with cheaper Asian-made products, formally petitioning on February 23.
The petition garnered support from seven other companies with billions of dollars combined invested in U.S. solar factories.
The reversal of the exemption, pending the decision timeline, is poised to be a boon for the U.S. solar industry. It aligns to Biden’s plan to fight climate change, revitalize American manufacturing and create millions of union jobs.
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Past trade remedies have sharply divided the U.S. solar industry, dominated by installers and developers who rely on cheap imports to keep their project costs low. The top U.S. solar trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), lobbied for the bifacial exemption.
In recent weeks, Biden administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the U.S. is reviewing trade remedies to address concerns arising from China’s massive investment in factory capacity for clean energy goods.
Qcells, which has two factories in Georgia, is the largest U.S. producer of silicon-based solar products.
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