Taiwanese solar cell manufacturers are expected to benefit from the a ruling yesterday by the US Department of Commerce, which raised import tariffs on Chinese solar cell makers from 17.5 percent in an earlier ruling to 30.61 percent, market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said.
The hefty import tax is set to increase costs for most Chinese solar cell makers by at least 10 percent, forcing them to place orders with Taiwanese suppliers to dodge higher import taxes, the Taipei-based research house said.
The researcher’s comments came after the department yesterday made a final ruling on breaches of anti-dumping and anti-subsidies regulations by Chinese manufacturers in 2012, upholding its preliminary ruling of a combined 30.61 percent levy on China’s top solar cell makers.
“Taiwanese cell makers with overseas operations will benefit from this ruling over the next six months, before Chinese manufacturers start ramping up overseas plants,” TrendForce analyst Angus Kau (高嘉熙) said.
Solartech Energy Corp (昇陽科技) and Tannery Tech Co (太極能源), which aggressively allocate capacities to tariff-free countries such as Malaysia, are likely to get more orders, Kau said.
The ruling is also likely to boost Motech Industries Co (茂迪), as the company is levied at the lowest import tariff of 11.45 percent among local peers after an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation launched by the US last year, Kau said.
Most local firms face a 19.5 percent tariff rate.
In light of rising demand from China, Taiwanese firms are expected to raise their prices by between 3 and 5 percent this quarter from last quarter, which would help make most local makers return to making a profit this quarter, Kau said.
The nation’s top three solar cell makers, Motech, Neo Solar Power Corp (新日光能源) and Gintech Energy Corp (昱晶), lost NT$487 million (US$15.59 million), NT$467 million and NT$295 million in the first quarter respectively. Solar tech lost NT$325 million, while Tannery reported profit of NT$26.74 million in the first quarter.
The ruling lifted stock prices of those solar cell makers by 4.44 percent to 8.69 percent yesterday, bucking the local market’s downtrend.
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