U.S. Customs Issues Determination in Waaree Solar Probe
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has concluded its Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) investigation into Waaree Solar Americas with an affirmative determination, according to a Thursday press release from the petitioning group.
The probe determined there was “substantial evidence” that goods shipped into the U.S. by Waaree since 2021 were subject to existing anti-dumping/countervailing duties (AD/CVD) tariffs dating back to 2012, but had not been declared as such.
The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee filed a petition seeking the EAPA probe last May, alleging Waaree mislabeled Chinese solar cells as being of Indian origin. In late September, CBP commenced its formal investigation.
In a statement shared with OPIS at the time, a Waaree spokesperson said the company would cooperate with the probe.
“We are a responsible corporate citizen in every country we operate in and we abide by all applicable local laws and regulations,” the spokesperson said.
The petitioning group, in its release, said imports of cells from China to India increased by more than 600% between 2022 and 2024, while there was no domestic cell output until the end of 2024. Meanwhile, imports of finished modules to the U.S. from India in the same period surged almost 800%.
“We commend Customs for its rigorous review of the record and its commitment to upholding the integrity of our trade remedy laws,” said Tim Brightbill, attorney for the petitioners, in a statement. “American solar manufacturers deserve a level playing field; this determination is an important step toward ensuring they have one.”
Waaree commenced production at its 1.6 GW Texas solar module factory in 2025, and plans to expand its U.S. portfolio to 5 GW by 2027.
Waaree and other Indian suppliers are currently under a separate AD/CVD investigation, alongside suppliers from Laos and Indonesia. The DOC released preliminary CVD results in February, and preliminary AD results in April. The investigation is scheduled to conclude in September.
Reporting by Colt Shaw, cshaw@opisnet.com; Editing by Jordan Godwin, jgodwin@opisnet.com