US probe report finds material injury from Indian solar exports

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Findings of a probe report filed by the US International Trade Commission has concluded that imports from India, Laos and Indonesia are injuring US producers of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells and modules. The commission’s preliminary report will be crucial for the US Department of Commerce to proceed with its anti-dumping investigation, which could eventually lead to duties being imposed on Indian imports.

This comes after a complaint was filed by a group of US solar manufacturers accusing exporters from India, Indonesia, and Laos of dumping products and receiving unfair government subsidies. The US Commerce Department subsequently launched anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations in August this year.

Under US rules, the Department of Commerce must decide whether to initiate an investigation within 20 days of receiving a petition, and the ITC must issue a preliminary ruling within 45 days. Final determinations are expected by the second quarter of 2026.

This is significant for Indian firms like Adani's Mundra Solar, Waaree Energies and Premier Energies, which are among the leading exporters to the US. The ITC noted that imports from India are “not negligible,” rejecting Indian respondents’ position that their large domestic market and different supply patterns insulate them from being lumped with Southeast Asian exporters.

The probe mainly centred around crystalline silicon-based photovoltaic (CSPV)  cells and products assembled from them, such as modules, laminates, and panels.

Indian CSPV cell exports to the US from are projected to increase from 2024 to 2026, according to the report filed by ITC, available on its website.

"India has a large and growing home market for CSPV cells and modules, which make Indian producers less export-oriented than producers in Indonesia or Laos," the report cited as the argument presented by Indian exporters.

The commission noted that between January 2022 and March 2025,  four US producers reported that they had to reduce prices, two reported that they had to roll back announced price increases, and three firms reported that they had lost. A total of 14 companies were quizzed by the commission over anti-dumping allegations. There are more than a dozen businesses in solar panel manufacturing in the US, according to data from market research firm IBISWorld.

"We determine that there is a reasonable indication that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of subject imports of CSPV cell and modules from India, Indonesia, and Laos that are allegedly sold in the United States at less than fair value and that are allegedly subsidized by the governments of India, Indonesia, and Laos," ITC said.

According to Mercom, Indian solar module and cell exports increased 26.1 percent quarter-over- quarter (QOQ) to $267.6 million in Q1 2025 from $212.2 million.  The US was the primary destination for Indian solar cell and module exports, accounting for 99.5 percent of the total in Q1 2025.

The AD/CVD investigations come at a time when Indian solar exports to the US are already under pressure from a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, raising the risk that domestic manufacturers may be forced to redirect shipments to other markets.