A clerical oversight in China has resulted in at least 16 manufacturers being excluded from the EU trade agreement, Solar Power Portal has learned.
A list of companies that were party to price undertaking has left multiple names out, despite the companies claiming they agreed to deal that came into force today.
As a result they will now be subject to the EU’s punitive anti-dumping tariffs, which are as high as 47.6%. One of the companies involved, which asked not to be named, said it would take at least a month to fix the error. It is now assessing its options.
Companies listed in the annex of an EU document published on 3 August are excluded from the duties on the agreement that they implement a minimum import price. PV Tech has confirmed with multiple manufacturers that this level will initially be set at €0.56 per Watt. This level will be held for 12 months from 6 August before being reappraised.
A spokeswoman for the European Commission told Solar Power Portal the list was submitted by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (CCCME).
“The companies that are included in the Commission Regulation exempting them from anti-dumping duties are the ones that participate in the undertaking. This list of companies has been submitted by the CCCME, following many careful checks, leading to the submission of a formal offer on behalf of the Chinese exporting companies on 27 July. All companies that are on the list have cooperated in the investigation. The undertaking is now closed with the legislation having been adopted,” they said.
Meanwhile, no details on whether the price refers to products as they pass through the factory gate or includes delivery and shipping costs have been confirmed to manufacturers as of yet.
Manufacturers are currently two days into a training session in Beijing to familiarise them with how to implement the price undertaking. The fine details of the mechanism are not expected until after the conclusion of that session later this week.
The total size of an import cap on Chinese manufacturers is also unknown. There was speculation that it would be 7GW, around 70% of the EU market. What is known is that caps have been allocated to each manufacturer based on the past 12 months’ shipments. This will restrict changes in the respective market share of each manufacturer.
The regulations are the subject of a legal challenge with the restrictions on imports thought to breach European anti-competition laws. As the price undertaking is a response to dumping, it is thought that some of these do not apply.
Additional reporting by Mark Osborne. This article originally appeared on Solar Power Portal's sister site, PV-Tech.org
