The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is investigating Waaree Solar Americas for allegedly evading US antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) by mislabeling Chinese-origin crystalline silicon solar PV cells and modules as Made in India.
The CBP issued a notice of initiation of the investigation in response to a petition submitted by the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee (AASMTC) under the Enforcement and Protect Act (EAPA).
Waaree shipped over 5.4 million kg of CSPV modules to the US in 2024, claiming they were made in India, but they were actually imported from China, alleges the alliance in its complaint. The complainants stress that the bill of lading data identify Waaree Americas as the consignee for many shipments of CSPV modules from Waaree in India.
According to the AASMTC, India’s imports of CSPV cells from China grew over 600% from 2022 to 2024, and Waaree didn’t have Indian cell-making capacity until late 2024. During this period, US imports of modules from India jumped nearly 800%, while imports from China fell due to the enforcement of trade duties.
“Indian solar products have been among the lowest prices in the market, and now we know why that's possible: by using Chinese cells and not paying the duties that apply to them,” alleged the Lead Attorney for AASMTC and Partner at Wiley Rein LLP, Tim Brightbill.
Waaree Solar Americas is the US manufacturing arm of India’s Waaree Energies Limited. Its total solar PV module production capacity stands at 16.7 GW, including 1.3 GW from Indosolar and 1.6 GW in Texas, US. It also has a 5.4 GW solar cell capacity at Chikhli in Gujarat, commissioned in March 2025, but trial production started in January this year (see Waaree Commissions India’s Largest Solar Cell Production Factory).
In a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Waaree said it is cooperating with the US investigations, while calling the US a very important manufacturing base for the company in its expansion ambitions. It is currently expanding the Texas factory from 1.6 GW to 3.2 GW and recently also acquired module assets of now bankrupt Meyer Burger to expand further in the US (see Meyer Burger To Sell US Module Production Equipment To Waaree).
The final determination of the CBP investigation into Waaree’s imports is expected on April 16, 2026, unless extended for another 60 days.
Earlier this year, AASMTC was successful in getting the US Department of Commerce to launch investigations into the alleged dumping of solar cells and modules from Indonesia, Laos, and India. Preliminary determinations are expected in September 2025 (see US Investigates Solar Trade From Laos, Indonesia & India).
The US has practically no solar cell production capacity of its own. Only Suniva and ES Foundry are currently in business, but if all announced plans are realized, the US may expand its cell production capacity to only 12.5 GW in the coming months. Investigations against imports from Indonesia, Laos, and India have complicated problems for US developers following the heavy AD/CVD tariffs on imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam (see USITC Issues Final Injury Determination In AD/CVD Investigation).
With the traditional sources of solar cell supply drying up, Solar Module Supply Chain Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, Elissa Pierce, sees the MENA region becoming the next major cell and module supplier to the US. She shared this during the TaiyangNews Solar – Made in the USA 2025 conference at RE+ 2025 (see US Solar PV Manufacturing Confronts Supply Chain And Policy Risks).
