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April 23 (Reuters) – The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday announced preliminary antidumping duties on solar cells and panels imported ‌from India, Indonesia and Laos, the latest in a ‌string of tariffs imposed over a decade on solar imports from Asia.
With the ​decision, federal trade officials sided with domestic solar factory owners in finding that companies operating in the three countries dumped cheap goods in the U.S. market, undercutting American factories.
According to a fact sheet ‌posted on the Commerce ⁠Department's website, the agency calculated preliminary duty rates, known as dumping margins, of 123.04% for imports from ⁠India, 35.17% for imports from Indonesia, and 22.46% for imports from Laos.
The three nations last year accounted for $4.5 billion in U.S. solar ​imports, about ​two-thirds of the total, according ​to government trade data.
The decision ‌is a blow to producers in those nations who were supplying goods to the fast-growing U.S. market.
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, which filed the petition, includes Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar, Qcells, the solar division of Korea's Hanwha, and private companies ‌Talon PV and Mission Solar.
The group ​has succeeded previously in winning tariffs ​on imports from countries ​in Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The ‌Commerce Department said it would ​announce a final ​decision on or around July 13 for solar cells from India and Indonesia, and a decision for imports from Laos ​on or around ‌September 9.
The agency also announced preliminary countervailing duties on ​the three countries in February.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by ​Chris Reese and David Gaffen)
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