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Rooftop solar panels in India. (Photo: iStock)
On Feb. 16, after receiving a complaint from the major solar glass manufacturer Borosil Renewables, The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), Department of Ministry of Commerce and Industry in India (MOCI), officially initiated an anti-dumping investigation into part of the solar glass which is imported from China and Vietnam. This move is seen as a clear indication of the Indian government's determination to protect its domestic solar industry.
Indian official statement stated that based on the application submitted by Indian companies, preliminary evidence indicates dumping and resulting harm to the Indian industry. Therefore, an anti-dumping investigation will be initiated regarding 'Textured Tempered Coated and Uncoated Glass' imported from China and Vietnam.
If it is determined that dumping has caused harm to Indian enterprises, MOCI will recommend re-imposing anti-dumping duties on the imported products, and then The Indian Ministry of Finance (MOF) will make the final decision.
According to a report by Breaking News Network (BNN), despite the Indian government's implementation of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost the development of the local solar industry, solar glass, the main component of solar panels, still to be continuously imported from China in bulk quantities and low prices. Especially after the cancellation of anti-dumping duties, the pressure on Indian domestic manufacturers has increased.
MOF had imposed an anti-dumping duty on Chinese solar glass for five years, with effect from August 18, 2017. Although MOCI recommended extending the taxation for two more years in May 2022, it seems this recommendation wasn't implemented, leaving companies like Borosil Renewables to fall into a difficult situation.
Besides solar glass, in late December 2023, MOCI recommended to continue imposing anti-dumping duties on Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) backsheets originating in or imported from China for another five years, to protect the development of the Indian domestic industry.
