Overview
- Three U.S. panel makers — Canadian Solar, SEG and Heliene — filed a petition through American Manufacturers for Energy Resilience asking the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate whether solar cells imported from South Korea are being used to evade existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese inputs.
- The petition alleges that producers including Hanwha Qcells shifted production to South Korea and did only minimal processing there so the cells should remain subject to U.S. anti‑dumping and countervailing duties.
- Hanwha Qcells has rejected the claims and said it has invested heavily in U.S. manufacturing, highlighted recent cell production in Georgia, and believes the petition’s evidence is without merit.
- Under U.S. anti‑circumvention rules, tariffs can be extended to goods routed through third countries when processing there is minor, a legal standard the petition relies on to seek tariff coverage of Korean cells.
- No formal Commerce investigation has been announced and the department typically has about 30 days to decide whether to open a probe, with any finding likely to affect supply chains, project costs and eligibility for U.S. manufacturing incentives.