The US is waiting for India government’s decision on imposing anti-dumping duties on US solar panels, PTI said attributing a senior American trade official.
With the new government under the leadership of Narendra Modi to assume office next week, the Commerce Ministry has proposed anti-dumping duty of up to USD 0.81 per watt on solar cells imported from the US, Malaysia, China and Chinese Taipei following complaints by domestic players.
The notification to impose anti-dumping duty is likely to be issued by the new government, sources said.
The U.S is wary of the implications of the development, as India is one of the key target markets for U.S. solar makers.
“On the India anti-dumping duties, we will be looking carefully at those, given that it’s an important sector,” a senior official from the US Trade Representatives said.
“We have begun a case with respect to India related to a local content provision that their national solar programme has in place. So there is another aspect of the solar industry and India, we are in litigation at the WTO at this time,” the official said.
The Indian Commerce Ministry has recommended levying anti-dumping duty on solar cells imported from the US, Malaysia, China and Chinese Taipei, a move that is likely to provide relief to struggling manufacturers back home.
Concluding the one-and-a-half year long probe into allegations that cheap solar cells are being dumped into India, the Ministry has suggested restrictive duty in the range of USD 0.11 to 0.81 per watt.
Earlier this year, the U.S has filed a case against India at the WTO challenging India’s domestic content requirement  policy in JNNSM phase II.
U.S alleges that in phase II of JNNSM, the domestic content requirement was expanded to cover thin film technology whereas it was exempt from such requirements in phase I.