The Indian Ministry of Commerce has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into solar encapsulation materials originating from or imported from South Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand.
As outlined in the investigation notice issued by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the petition was filed by RenewSys, a major Indian manufacturer of solar encapsulation materials and backsheets, which holds a significant share in the domestic market.
The petition was supported by two other companies: Vishakha Renewables and Navitas Alpha Renewables.
According to RenewSys’s petition, the allegedly dumped goods into India are “like article[s] to the goods produced by the domestic industry,” adding that “there is no difference in the technical specifications, functions, or end-uses between the dumped imported goods and the domestically produced subject goods.”
The investigation will cover products exported from South Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand during the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
There is currently a 30-day window from the date of the notice’s publication (September 29) to receive any information relevant to the investigation.
Solar encapsulation materials are used to bond photovoltaic cells, glass, and backsheets. There are three main types of encapsulation materials: Polyolefin Elastomer (POE), Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA), and a combination of both, known as EPE (EVA-POE-EVA) encapsulation sheets.
This investigation follows by nearly one year the DGTR’s imposition of preliminary anti-dumping duties on solar glass exports from China and Vietnam. In its preliminary findings, the DGTR stated that solar glass producers from China and one from Vietnam had exported goods to India “causing injury” to the domestic solar glass manufacturing industry.
The DGTR assigned dumping margins ranging from 50% to 90% for Chinese exporters and 30% to 40% for the Vietnamese exporter.
India’s own solar industry is not immune to being the target of anti-dumping investigations. This summer, the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade filed anti-dumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) petitions against imports of solar cells from India, Indonesia, and Laos into the United States.
That investigation is currently ongoing, with a preliminary decision expected in the coming weeks.
