India imposes anti-dumping duty on solar cell imports.

NEW DELHI: India has imposed dumping duty on solar gear imported from the US, China, Malaysia and Taiwan. The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping (DGAD) in its final findings recommended that anti-dumping duties of up to $0.48 per watt on solar cells coming from the US and $0.81 per watt from China. Form Malaysia and Taiwan, it is $0.62 per watt and $0.59 per watt, respectively.

"After examining the issues raised and submissions made by the interested parties and facts made available before the authority, the product under consideration has been exported to India from subject countries below its normal value, thus resulting in dumping of the product," said the DGAD notification in the case filed by a group of domestic manufacturers two years back.

The domestic manufacturers of solar cells have alleged in their application to DGAD in 2012 that the above-mentioned countries are exporting solar equipment in India at "ridiculously low prices" due to which "the local industry is bleeding".

ET reported two weeks back that the Indian government is likely to impose a high anti-dumping duty on the importers of solar cells in the country. The ministry of commerce identified a dumping margin range of 50%-60% from the US and around 100%-110% from China, the largest exporter of solar cells worldwide.

Due to cheap imports flooding the Indian solar market, major players in the Indian solar manufacturing space have either shut down their manufacturing facilities or have idled over half of their capacity. More than 70% of the solar power projects in India are built on imported content, most of it coming from China. Both the ministry of new and renewable energy and Indian solar power production industry are apprehensive of the cost of the recently tendered 4,000-mw of solar capacity going up, including 375 mw of National Solar Mission.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com