Trump Imposes 15% Tariff On Solar Material Imports
WASHINGTON, DC-President Donald Trump on August 6 signed an executive order imposing minimum import prices and a 15 per cent tariff on products made from polysilicon, a key material used in solar panels and semiconductors, in a move aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and protecting national security.
According to a White House proclamation, the minimum import price will be set at $21 per kilogram for polysilicon and $100 per kilogram for polysilicon ingots and wafers. The new trade measures are scheduled to take effect on December 4, reports Xinhua news agency.
Trump also directed the US Department of Commerce to establish a programme to encourage investment in domestic production of raw polysilicon and related downstream products.
A White House fact sheet said the measures are intended to create “a level playing field for American producers of these strategic goods,” promote the “onshoring of these industries,” and safeguard “US national security and its defense and defense-adjacent industrial base.”
The fact sheet noted that the US share of global polysilicon production capacity has declined sharply, from 50 per cent in 2005 to less than 2 per cent in 2024, underscoring concerns over reliance on foreign supply chains. (IANS)
