India rejects anti-dumping: Industry reaction

India rejects anti-dumping: Industry reaction

The Indian government's decision to not levy anti-dumping duties on imports of solar cells and modules from four countries, including China, led to cheers from project developers.

But the same could not be said for a large section of solar cell and module producers in the country, who have been vociferously demanding the imposition of anti-dumping duties for a long time.

Cowed by cheap Chinese imports, 25 domestic solar manufacturers were eagerly waiting for an anti-dumping order from the Indian government. After the decision to let the August 22 deadline pass without so much as a murmur, these aggrieved companies are now forced to seek out export markets, or instead supply modules under the Indian government’s Domestic Content Policy (DCR).

Under the DCR policy of MNRE for the phase-2 of JNNSM, a total of 375 MW of solar power plants have to be built using domestically produced cells and modules.

Vivek Chaturvedi, chief marketing officer of Moser Baer Solar, one of the most well-known producers of cells and modules, revealed the following to pv magazine on the opening day of Renewable Energy Expo in New Delhi:

"The government’s decision not to impose anti-dumping duties on solar cell and module imports is unfortunate for domestic producers,” said Chaturvedi. "Amid the flood of cheap imports, India’s domestic manufacturing industry has come to a standstill as project developers prefer low cost imports from overseas countries. But for the dumping of cheap products, our company would have been a GW player."

Making the best of the situation
One of India's largest solar cell and module producers, Indo solar, declined to comment on the matter when queried by pv magazine. Indo Solar did, however, comment that the Solar Energy Society of India is the appropriate body to take a further decision on Government’s stance. A couple of months back, Indo Solar signed the single largest solar cell supply contract of 60 MW under the DCR with a local solar project developer. After a long hiatus, production at Indo Solar’s existing 200 MW line commenced in July.

In anticipation of an anti-dumping imposition, the company ordered a new automated 250 MW line with selective emitter technology, which has since been delivered to its factory and will be installed in the final quarter of the year.

Another leading cell and module producer, Tata Solar Power, had recently increased its production capacity by 60%. The company’s Bangalore facility now has 200 MW module and 180 MW cell production capacities.

Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, chairman & MD of ACME Solar told pv magazine: "Modules constitute the single largest component in a solar power project, upwards of 50% of the total cost. Non imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports will provide the solar project developers an opportunity to source these from lowest cost producers, which will bring out the best in Indian manufacturing industry in the medium and long term."

Boasting a solar power generation  portfolio of about 70 MW from its three Indian power plants , ACME Solar is a three-way joint venture between ACME, EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN), the renewable energy arm of French electricity utility Electricite de France S.A., and Luxembourg-based natural resources group EREN. During the JNNSM bidding last year, ACME won projects worth 100 MW. Out of that figure, 20 MW of the projects come under the DCR policy.

Article From PV Magazine

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