U.S. investigates wind tower imports from Vietnam
U.S. investigates wind tower imports from Vietnam
The U.S. Department of Commerce on Tuesday initiated new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations to determine whether utility scale wind towers from Vietnam and three other countries are being dumped on the United States market.
In a statement, the DOC said the investigations will also determine whether producers in Canada, Indonesia and Vietnam are receiving unfair subsidies.
Although there is already an existing antidumping duty order on utility scale wind towers from Vietnam, the petition was filed with respect to one company that was excluded from the current order.
The move was initiated based on petitions filed by the Wind Tower Trade Coalition, which includes Arcosa Wind Towers Inc. (Dallas, TX) and Broadwind Towers, Inc. (Manitowoc, WI).
The alleged dumping margins are 39.97% to 65.96% for Vietnam, and there are reportedly 24 subsidy programs for the country.
The department will impose duties if the investigations back up the claims and if the U.S. International Trade Commission determines that dumped or unfairly subsidized imports are causing injury to the U.S. industry.
Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below production cost or below prices in their home markets are subject to antidumping duties.
Companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments, such as grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks or production input, are subject to countervailing duties aimed at directly countering those subsidies.
Imports of wind towers from Canada, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam last year were valued at an estimated US$60.2 million, US$37.4 million, US$50 million and US$21.4 million, respectively, according to the department.
