ComMin recommends antidumping levy on US, Chinese solar cells

The Commerce Ministry has recommended levying anti-dumping duty on solar cells imported from the US, Malaysia, China and Chinese Taipei, a move that would provide relief to struggling domestic manufacturers.
Concluding the one-and-a-half year long probe into allegations that cheap solar cells are being dumped into India, the Ministry has suggested restrictive duty in the range of USD 0.11 to 0.81 per watt.
The notification to impose anti-dumping duty is likely to be issued by the new government which will assume office after swearing in of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister on May 26.
Incidentally, renewable energy programme, which includes boosting solar power schemes, is dear to Modi.

The Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has recommended duty on imports of solar cells from Malaysia, China, Chinese Taipei and the US.
The levy would be applicable "whether or not assembled partially or fully in modules or panels or on glass or some other suitable substrates, originating in or exported" from these countries, a Commerce Ministry notification said.

"... The product under consideration has been exported to India from subject countries below its normal value, thus resulting in dumping of the product; the domestic industry has suffered material injury due to dumping of the product under consideration," the DGAD probe has concluded.

To protect the interests of local players, the panel has proposed that Chinese imports should attract duties of USD 0.64 - 0.81 per watt while the levy suggested for such cells coming from the US is USD 0.11 - 0.48 per watt.
Similarly, duties of USD 0.62 per watt and USD 0.59 per watt have been recommended for solar cell imports from Malaysia and Taipei, respectively.
Welcoming the recommendations, the Indian Solar Manufacturers' Association (ISMA), which has more than 20 members, said domestic makers have suffered tremendous material injury due to dumping of cheap solar cells.
Last year, imports of solar products into India touched Rs 6,000 crore but Indian manufacturers did not even get two per cent of that business, the association said in a statement.

The DGDA probe was initiated in November 2012 following complaint from the association on behalf of three of its member companies - Indosolar Ltd, Jupiter Solar Power Ltd and Websol Energy Systems Ltd.
However, many solar power producers, who are procuring equipment from overseas, are opposed to the recommendations.