No Chinese tariffs on polysilicon imports

Final decision on tariffs to be made on February 20.

China is expected to decide on complaints from Chinese polysilicon makers that importers from Europe, South Korea and the U.S. are dumping their polysilicon products in China

The complaints are part of an escalating solar trade war pitting China against the U.S. and Europe. A polysilicon tariff by China will be seen as a retaliation for duties the U.S. imposed on Chinese solar products last October. Europe is considering imposing tariffs on Chinese polysilicon products, as well.

Prices for solar panels dropped 22% in 2012 as demand weakened, making it hard for the Chinese to absorb higher prices for polysilicon.

In November China began looking into charges that foreign polysilicon manufacturers, which supply 75% of the material worldwide, were dumping their product in China.

The world’s biggest polysilicon producer is China’s GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. The others are South Korea’s OCI Company; Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation from the U.S.; Germany’s Wacker Chemie AG and Norway’s Renewable Energy Corporation.

China’s polysilicon companies don’t produce enough to supply the entire country, especially if the government implements its plans to boost solar installations to 10 gigawatts this year.