US to go for tariff-free solar panel imports from 4 Asian countries - report

US President Joe Biden is expected to officially allow the tariff-free imports of solar panels from Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam for a 24-month period, Reuters reports.

An unnamed source has told the news agency that an announcement by the Biden Administration is due to be made on Monday.

Hundreds of large-scale solar power projects in the US are on hold since the end of March when the Commerce Department launched an investigation into the imports of photovoltaic (PV) panels from the four Asian countries.

The probe was initiated after US solar product maker Auxin Solar filed a petition against Chinese manufacturers, accusing them of circumventing duties in the US by shipping panels assembled in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam and insisting that they are slapped with cost-prohibitive tariffs of up to 250%.

According to the report, the proclamation will be made amid concerns about the impacts of the months-long investigation.

A study by the American Clean Power Association has shown that more than 24 GW of solar PV projects are at risk, either being threatened by cancellation or facing delays in the period 2022-2023, due to the probe. The industry organisation estimates that the four countries at the heart of the investigation account for 80% of the solar imports in the US.

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