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China Solar Modules

China Warns India Against Prospective Anti-dumping Duties On Solar Modules

written by saurabh

Amidst continued border issues, China has warned India against levying any anti-dumping duties on solar modules.

Chinese officials warned India against the use ‘trade remedies’ less than a week after India’s Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties announced that it shall undertake anti-dumping investigations into solar modules imported from three countries – China, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Officials of China’s commerce ministry said that any trade measures the levy duties on solar modules imported from China will be detrimental to India’s solar power sector as well as trade relations between the two countries.

On 21 July, India’s Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties responded to a petition by an association of Indian module manufacturers which sought relief from the low-cost Chinese modules that have flooded the Indian market. The sharp collapse in solar module prices imported from China has resulted in a much steeper fall in tariff bids for utility-scale solar power projects in India.

The Indian manufacturers have made several attempts to push the government for relief, either by levying anti-dumping duties or through direct financial incentives. None have worked.

In 2013, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had proposed to levy duties ranging from $0.11 to $0.81 per watt on modules imported from the US, China, Malaysia and Chinese Taipei. However, this recommendation did not find favour with other ministries, including the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. The proposal was thus rejected by the Ministry of Finance.

… the Ministry of Finance has refused to approve a Rs 20,000 crore ($3.1 billion) relief package for the solar cell and module manufacturers. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy had proposed this incentives program in order to help Indian companies compete with foreign manufacturers.

Chinese officials may be correct in pointing out that any tinkering with the current situation may force project developers to starting increasing their bids in competitive auctions. Apart from Chinese imports, the latest investigation will also cover imports from Taiwan and Malaysia.

July 30, 2017 0 comment

India Opens Anti-Dumping Investigations On Imported Solar Modules

written by saurabh

As India and China face-off at the troubled international boundary around Tibet, India has opened anti-dumping investigations against Chinese solar module imports. Along with Chinese modules, those imported from Taiwan and Malaysia will also be covered under this investigation.

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties, under the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, announced that it shall undertake anti-dumping investigations into solar modules imported from three countries – China, Taiwan and Malaysia. The investigation shall look at the period between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017 however, data for three previous years shall also be looked at.

The petition to initiate investigation was submitted by the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association, on behalf of four module manufacturers – Indosolar, Websol Energy Systems, Jupiter Solar Power and Jupiter International.

Indian solar module manufacturers have reported very poor financial health and utilisation of production facilities despite the rapid increase in India’s solar power market. While the government increased the installed capacity target from 22 gigawatts to 100 gigawatts by 2022 the Indian manufacturers have completely failed to garner any significant share in the market. These manufacturers seem to have filed this petition as no other relief from the government was coming through.

Indian business daily Economic Times has reported that the Ministry of Finance has refused to approve a Rs 20,000 crore ($3.1 billion) relief package for the solar cell and module manufacturers. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy had proposed this incentives program in order to help Indian companies compete with foreign manufacturers.

Chinese modules, whose prices have collapsed sharply over the last several months, continue to dominate the Indian market.

According to Mercom Capital, project developers imported solar modules worth US$763 million between April and August 2016, an increase of 53% from imports worth US$497 million during the same period last year. Share of modules from China also increased sharply. Chinese modules accounted for 85% of the total modules imported in India, followed by Malaysia at distant 9%; modules from Taiwan, the US and Singapore accounted for 3% to 1% each.

In financial year 2014-15 (April 2014 to March 2015), India imported 161.5 million with 70% of them coming from China. During the preceding financial year, the share of Chinese modules in total imports was 65%.

This is the second time that such anti-dumping investigations have been initiated by India. In 2013, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had proposed to levy duties ranging from $0.11 to $0.81 per watt on modules imported from the US, China, Malaysia and Chinese Taipei. However, this recommendation did not find favour with other ministries, including the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. The proposal was thus rejected by the Ministry of Finance.

Levying an anti-dumping duty on Chinese modules now could suck the steam out of India’s rapidly growing solar power market. Tariff bids have collapsed to new record lows and to sustain these tariffs, and keep solar power an attractive alternative to thermal power, cheaper solar modules are essential.

July 25, 2017 0 comment

Rising Price Of Chinese Modules Could Jeopardise New Solar Plants In India

written by saurabh

As top executives of some of the leading Indian and international project developers slugged it out for more than 24 hours at a stretch in the May earlier this year to outbid one another in some the fiercest of competitive solar auctions in India to date, the winners would have hoped that they have overcome one of the biggest challenges. Now, it seems the winners could face another uphill task of keeping the project costs in check.

According to media reports, price of Chinese modules have increased by more than 47% from the price project developers of India’s cheapest solar power projects had assumed during the competitive auctions in May. According to business daily Mint, project developers bidding for 750 megawatts capacity at Bhadla solar power park had assumed cost of modules at 23¢ per watt. these prices have now increased to 34¢ per watt for delivery scheduled in August.

An increase of 47% in the cost of a component that comprises of a big majority of the project cost of a solar PV power plant is a matter of deep concern for a developer, to put it mildly! The concerns become a huge problem and challenge when the developer has quoted a tariff as low as Rs 2.44/kWh (3.8¢/kWh), the lowest-ever in India.

The rapid decline in solar power tariff bids in India has been fuelled, in a large part, due to the falling prices of Chinese modules which hold an overwhelming share in the Indian market.

Since February 2017 this year four major solar power auctions have taken place in India with the lowest tariff bids falling by as much as 26% between the first and the latest auction.

Over the years, dependence on Chinese imports has increased significantly.

According to Mercom Capital, project developers imported solar modules worth US$763 million between April and August 2016, an increase of 53% from imports worth US$497 million during the same period last year. Share of modules from China also increased sharply. Chinese modules accounted for 85% of the total modules imported in India, followed by Malaysia at distant 9%; modules from Taiwan, the US and Singapore accounted for 3% to 1% each.

In financial year 2014-15 (April 2014 to March 2015), India imported 161.5 million with 70% of them coming from China. During the preceding financial year, the share of Chinese modules in total imports was 65%.

July 22, 2017 0 comment