US Slaps Preliminary Duties on Cheap Lao Solar Panels
Published Date: 4/28/2026
Notice
Summary
The U.S. says solar cells from Laos are being sold here for less than they should be, which might hurt American businesses. Because of this, the government is looking into it and has delayed the final decision while keeping some temporary rules in place. If you’re involved in solar cell trade, watch for updates and possible changes in costs or import rules soon!
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Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 4 costs, 0 mixed.
Preliminary Finding: Laos Solar Cells Dumping
The Department of Commerce preliminarily found that crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from the Lao People's Democratic Republic are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value for the period January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025. This starts an antidumping process that may lead to duties and other import requirements for those products after the final decision.
Immediate Cash Deposit Requirement
Commerce instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend liquidation and require cash deposits for subject merchandise at an adjusted cash deposit rate of 22.06% and an estimated weighted-average dumping margin of 22.46% for listed producer/exporter combinations. The suspension of liquidation applies to entries entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after April 28, 2026.
Retroactive Duties for Certain Exporter-Producer Pairs
Commerce preliminarily found "critical circumstances" for certain producer/exporter combinations (Solarspace/JA Solar; SolarSpace Hong Kong/SolarSpace Hong Kong; Solarspace/Trina Solar; Solarspace/Trina Thailand; and the Laos-wide entity). For those combinations, suspension of liquidation applies to unliquidated entries entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, on or after the date 90 days before publication (i.e., January 28, 2026). Commerce preliminarily did not find critical circumstances for Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd. (Solarspace).
Final Decision Postponed; Provisional Measures Extended
At the request of Solarspace on March 25, 2026, Commerce postponed the final determination and extended provisional measures from four months to a period not to exceed six months. Commerce will make its final determination no later than 135 days after publication of this preliminary determination (no later than September 10, 2026).
Narrow Product Exclusions in Scope
The investigation explicitly excludes many small or specialized off-grid and portable crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels and certain consumer-integrated cells based on exact characteristics (for example: panels with total power output of 200 watts or less, maximum surface area thresholds like 16,000 cm2, and specific connector types). Products meeting those listed exclusion criteria are not covered by the investigation.
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