Washington, D.C. (May 12, 2026) — Eight domestic solar manufacturing companies filed a formal request today with the U.S. Department of Commerce to initiate a country-wide anti-circumvention inquiry into crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells and modules assembled in Ethiopia using Chinese-origin components. The filing alleges that manufacturers are exploiting Ethiopia as the latest export platform to circumvent existing antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders on solar products by routing Chinese wafers and components through minimal Ethiopian solar manufacturing operations before shipping finished cells and modules to the United States.
U.S. imports of solar cells and modules from Ethiopia surged from zero in June of 2025 to over $300 million by year’s end. This surge correlates directly with the imposition of Solar III orders on Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam in June 2025, and the initiation of Solar IV investigations into India, Indonesia, and Laos in August 2025. Similar trends have been observed in the Philippines, the Middle East, and countries in Africa, including Egypt and Nigeria.
“What we’re seeing in Ethiopia follows a familiar playbook,” said Tim Brightbill, Partner and Co-Chair of the Trade Practice at Wiley Rein LLP. “For over a decade, state-subsidized manufacturers have responded to U.S. trade enforcement by relocating minimal finishing operations to the next available country, while continuing to source nearly all their inputs from the same foreign suppliers. American solar manufacturing is at an inflection point: With billions invested, thousands of jobs created, and real capacity coming online, we are not going to stand by and allow serial tariff evasion to undercut that progress.”
Background
The original Solar I AD/CVD orders were imposed on Chinese CSPV products in December 2012 following findings of dumping and illegal subsidization. These producers responded by shifting production to Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam — triggering affirmative circumvention findings in 2023 and new AD/CVD orders (Solar III) in June 2025. Imports from those four countries subsequently collapsed from $12.2 billion in 2023 to $1.3 billion in 2025. A new round of AD/CVD petitions (Solar IV) targeting India, Indonesia, and Laos followed in July 2025; Commerce issued affirmative preliminary countervailing duty determinations on February 26, and preliminary dumping determinations on April 23, 2026.
The Ethiopia filing alleges that two companies — TOYO Solar Manufacturing (TOYO Ethiopia) and Origin Solar Manufacturing — are completing Chinese-origin wafers into CSPV cells in Ethiopia, then assembling those cells into modules in Ethiopia or Vietnam for export to the United States. The petition calls for Commerce to conduct a country-wide circumvention inquiry. Trade data confirm that nearly 70% of the finished solar modules include components and processing that are already subject to existing tariffs.
Key Facts
U.S. imports of Ethiopian solar products went from $0 through June 2025 to upwards of $300 million by December of 2025.
TOYO claims its wafers come from Indonesia, but the shipping data reveals that Indonesia sent almost nothing to Ethiopia.
Ethiopian manufacturing processing is minor.
The companies that submitted the petition: DYCM Power, First Solar, Inc., Great Lakes Solex PR, Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc., LLC, Silfab Solar Inc., Suniva Inc., Swift Solar, LLC (d/b/a/Solx), and Talon PV. Their petition requests that Commerce initiate the inquiry within 30 days and issue an affirmative preliminary circumvention determination to provide immediate relief to domestic producers.
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade is a coalition of four member and supporter companies calling for the enforcement of U.S. trade laws against foreign entities engaging in illegal practices to protect American jobs, ensure fair market prices, and secure a strong American solar manufacturing industry for generations to come. For more information, visit aasmt.org.