India goes easy on imported solar.

The government’s decision to allow the deadline for the proposed imposition of anti-dumping duties on cells and modules manufactured in China, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Unites States to lapse has come as a relief to the Indian solar industry.

There will be no anti-dumping tariffs placed on components imported from these countries.

This has brought relief to the industry as almost 3,000 MW was in the pipeline with many of the tenders awarded was bogged down by uncertainty.
The industry felt that if anti-dumping duty was imposed, the cost of the projects would have gone up and the suppliers would not accept the new costs and this would have led to a spate of litigation.

Raj Prabhu, chief executive officer and Co-founder of Mercom Capital said a “disaster has been averted and the projects that were stalled can now re-start.”

P.S. Deodhar, an electronics technologists said that the major investment of funds in a solar plant is that of solar modules and the initial investment in solar plant is the major reason of people’s hesitation to go for solar energy.

The government’s move will therefore lead to increase in plant investment.

The tussle was between the commerce and industry ministry and the ministry for new and renewable energy (MNRE) with the former wanting the anti-dumping duty imposed on solar product imports and the latter opposing it on grounds that it would increase the cost of solar power.

According to the Indian Solar Manufacturers’ Association, the imports of solar products into he country had touched Rs.6,000 crore in 2013-14 but Indian manufacturers did not get even a two per cent share of the business.

More than 70 per cent of the projects across the country are built on imported solar cells and around 4,000 MW was tendered recently.

This includes 375 Mw tendered out in the second phase of the National Solar Mission in January this year.

Source : asianage.com