May 12 (Reuters) – A group of U.S. solar panel makers on Tuesday asked federal trade officials to investigate solar shipments from Ethiopia, alleging that companies are finishing their products there to avoid import duties on Chinese-made goods.
The filing with the U.S. Department of Commerce is the latest in a decade-long string of attempts by owners of domestic solar panel factories to seek tariffs on cheap imports made primarily by Chinese companies.
It alleges that Japan’s Toyo and Origin Solar Manufacturing are using Chinese-made wafers to make solar cells in Ethiopia, then assembling those cells into panels in Ethiopia or Vietnam for export to the U.S.
It is illegal to circumvent U.S. tariffs by re-routing goods through other countries with minor processing modifications.
The petitioning group includes Arizona-based First Solar Inc (FSLR.O), opens new tab, Qcells, the solar manufacturing unit of South Korea’s Hanwha (000880.KS), opens new tab, and six smaller producers. Both First Solar and Qcells have invested billions of dollars in major U.S. solar panel factories.