Impressions of the wind tower trade war

Herman K. Trabish

On the heels of accusations that the Chinese government is subsidizing its solar panel manufacturers so they can sell at below-market prices in the U.S., the U.S.-based Wind Tower Trade Coalition (WTTC) petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate Chinese and Vietnamese tower makers for similar practices.

“The Chinese government has targeted the clean energy industries -- a variety of clean energy industries -- with massive subsidies that have distorted the marketplace,” said Attorney Alan H. Price of WTTC counsel Wiley Rein LLP in an interview with GTM, following up on the news of the WTTC petitions. The Wiley Rein law firm is also representing the coalition of solar panel manufacturers that is asking the DOC and the ITC for investigation and redress.

“The subsidies are well documented,” Price added. They can be found, he said, in official government documents, including China’s most recent five-year plans.

Price explained that Wiley Rein calculated “dumping margins of 64.37 percent for China and 59.11 percent for Vietnam,” and that these figures were obtained using standard DOC methodologies.

“What those numbers mean,” Price explained, “is that duties of those amounts would have to be added so that the towers from China and Vietnam would be sold at fairly traded prices.” The DOC and ITC investigations, Price said, will determine actual margins that may be higher or lower.

Both the solar and wind tower manufacturers say the dumping and other allegedly unfair trade practices are compromising the U.S. industries and tensNike Jordan Super Fly 5