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China Upholds Tariffs on Raw Material for Solar Panels From U.S, South Korea

China Upholds Tariffs on Raw Material for Solar Panels From U.S, South Korea
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Δευ, 20 Ιανουαρίου 2014 - 18:18
China on Monday upheld tariffs it announced last year on imports of raw material from the U.S. and South Korea that is used to make solar panels.
China on Monday upheld tariffs it announced last year on imports of raw material from the U.S. and South Korea that is used to make solar panels.

The move could hurt Chinese solar-equipment manufacturers which rely on the raw material, known as solar-grade polysilicon, to produce more than half the world's solar panels.

 China 's Ministry of Commerce left its tariffs largely unchanged from when they were first announced in July. The tariffs are as high as 57% for U.S. suppliers and as high as 48.7% for South Korean suppliers, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

 China alleges that U.S. and South Korean suppliers have been selling polysilicon at below-cost prices, a practice known as dumping. Among the suppliers named, two with the highest tariff levels are U.S. subsidiaries of Renewable Energy Corp. of Norway .

The Commerce Ministry on Monday separately posted a final decision on anti-subsidy tariffs, lowering them for most U.S. suppliers to 2.1% from a previously announced 6.5% in September.

 China 's Commerce Ministry has said that subsidized polysilicon made up 22% of China 's market in the first half of 2012, though that was down from 33% in 2008. Over that four-year period, the price of subsidized polysilicon imports dropped 85%, and domestic prices for the material plunged 92%, the ministry has said.

Dumped material accounted for 36% of China 's polysilicon imports in the first half of 2012, down from 44% in 2008, the government said. The price of dumped polysilicon imports dropped 88% over the period, and domestic prices for the material plunged 92%, according to the government.

 China consumed 76,480 metric tons of polysilicon in the first half of 2012, with 37% coming from domestic production, the ministry said.

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