The European Commission (EC) has revealed that the majority of EU member states have endorsed the ‘amicable’ solution reached in the EU-China solar trade dispute.
The EC says that the proposed deal has received “almost unanimous support from the member states”. The terms of the deal are rumoured to contain a minimum price of between €0.55-57W with a market cap of 7GW (60% of the EU market). However, Solar Power Portal understands that the deal could contain a minimum price that will fluctuate with the prevailing market conditions.
The details of the deal will be published in the Official Journal on the 3 August, with the terms coming into force on 6 August. The timings mean that Chinese solar manufacturers who participated in the anti-dumping investigation will be exempt from the previously announced anti-dumping duties of 47%.
The Solar Trade Association (STA) has expressed concerns over the reported details of the deal, stating that it could leave UK policy framework “out of kilter with real world costs”.
The association’s PV specialist, Ray Noble warned: “It would make little sense from a public value-for-money perspective for the UK government to allow the solar industry to grind to a halt because of Brussels meddling.”