Photovoltaic frames and brackets are affected! The U.S. Department of Commerce releases preliminary results of its countervailing investigation into imported aluminum profiles

Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce released preliminary investigation results showing that the governments of China, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey have provided "harmful" subsidies to their aluminum profiles.

The U.S. Department of Commerce calculated preliminary countervailing duties for each country, with the following rates: 15.41% to 169.66% for imports from China, 6.69% to 43.56% for imports from Indonesia, 1.68% to 77.80% for imports from Mexico, and 1.45% to 1.45% for imports from Turkey. 147.53%.

On October 25, 2023, in response to the U.S. Aluminum Extrusions Coalition and the United Steel, Paper, Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, and Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (the United Steel, Paper and Forestry , Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union) submitted an application on October 4, 2023. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the launch of anti-dumping on aluminum extrusions (Aluminum Extrusions) imported from China, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey. and anti-subsidy investigations, launching anti-dumping investigations on aluminum profiles imported from 10 countries including Colombia, Dominica, Ecuador, India, Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Involving US customs codes 7604.10.1000, 7604.10.3000, 7604.10.5000, 7604.21.0000, 7604.21.0010, 7604.21.0090, 7604.29.1000, 7604.29.1010, 7604.29.1090, 76 04.29.3060, 7604.29.3090, 7604.29. 5050, 7604.29.5090, 7608.10.0030, 7608.10.0090, 7608.20.0030, 7608.20.0090, 7610.10.0010, 7610.10.0020, 7610.10.0030, 7610.90.0040, 7 Products under 610.90.0080.

In the latest round of deliberations of these investigations, the Commerce Department excluded fully assembled solar modules and “off-grid solar charging modules” from these investigations. However, solar brackets and imported photovoltaic module frames are under investigation.

A memo released recently said the investigation includes "aluminum extrusions, regardless of form, surface treatment or manufacture, whether assembled with other parts or unassembled, and whether coated, painted, anodized or thermally modified." Aluminum extrusions It is the process of shaping raw aluminum into any number of profiles. According to the document, aluminum products that have non-aluminum components (such as fasteners) or are coated in one of the listed countries are still included in the investigation. According to reports, import taxes may apply to products such as photovoltaic brackets.

In about a week, the Commerce Department is expected to direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to begin suspending liquidations and imposing preliminary duties (in the form of cash collateral) on aluminum extrusion imports from China, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey.

This is a preliminary decision only and subsidy rates may increase pending a final decision. The countervailing duty investigation is ongoing, and the U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to make a final ruling in late July 2024, which may also be delayed.

These rates apply only to countervailing duty investigations. This does not include rates from the ongoing anti-dumping duty investigation into aluminum extrusion products from China, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey, which will be added to the preliminary subsidy rates. The Ministry of Commerce currently plans to make preliminary rulings on anti-dumping tax cases against these four countries and ten other countries in early May 2024.