Taiwanese solar cell makers are expected to see the price of their products decline moderately this quarter as demand dwindles amid unresolved anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probes by the US into Taiwanese and Chinese solar firms, market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday.
TrendForce said prices would also fall as customers complete inventory buildups in the major markets of Europe, the US, Japan and China, while supply is set to increase after the Lunar New Year holiday next month.
“The results of the US’ two solar investigations are still unclear, and the uncertainty puts extra pressure on solar cell pricing by Taiwanese suppliers, who primarily sell their products in China,” TrendForce analyst Angus Kao (高嘉熙) said in yesterday’s report.
Average selling prices of high-efficiency solar cells made by Taiwanese companies are expected to sell for US$0.32 to US$0.325 per watt this quarter, Kao said. The price is still above the cost of production for the nation’s manufacturers, allowing them to eke out profits, Kao said.
The US Department of Commerce recommended on Thursday last week that tariffs on Chinese solar cells be slashed from 31 percent to about 18 percent after a review of import tariffs. The tariffs were imposed in 2012 after the US wrapped up its first anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese companies. The final ruling on the tariffs is not expected until May or June.
The recommendation reversed an upbeat outlook on Taiwanese solar cell makers brought about by the US’ decision last month to cut import tariffs on Taiwanese solar cell companies to 19.5 percent from the 36 percent it set preliminarily in a second investigation into Taiwan and China last year. TrendForce said prices would be volatile following the US International Trade Commission’s announcement of its final ruling on the case next month.
However, the China-US solar disputes, helped drive solar cell demand for Taiwanese companies last quarter.
Motech Industries Inc (茂迪), the nation’s top solar cell maker, yesterday posted 16.57 percent decline in revenue for last month to NT$1.51 billion (US$47 million) from November’s NT$1.81 billion, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
That brought the company’s total revenue last quarter to NT$4.87 billion, up 25.84 percent from the NT$3.87 billion posted in the third quarter last year. For the whole of last year, revenue shrank 6.42 percent to NT$19.98 billion from NT$21.35 billion in 2013.
Another solar cell maker, Gintech Energy Corp (昱晶), yesterday posted a 3.95 percent increase in revenue for last month to NT$1.58 billion from NT$1.52 billion in November. Last quarter, revenue climbed about 38 percent sequentially to NT$4 billion.
Green Energy Technology Inc (綠能科技), the nation’s top solar wafer maker, yesterday said revenue fell 9.7 percent to NT$1.32 billion last month, compared with NT$1.46 billion in Novmeber. Last year as a whole, revenue grew 18 percent to NT$15.36 billion from NT$13.01 billion in 2013, the company’s statistics showed.
Earlier this week, solar material supplier Giga Solar Materials Corp (碩禾) posted a record-high monthly revenue of NT$1.06 billion for last month, up 6 percent from November’s NT$1 billion.
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