After months of delays, U.S. imports of solar panels from China are picking up again, according to Chinese solar companies and U.S. officials.
The slowdown stemmed from a new U.S. law banning goods made with forced labor, particularly from China’s Xinjiang region.
A White House official confirmed at an energy conference that shipments are resuming, thanks to clearer rules under the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA).
The resumed imports come as a relief to major Chinese suppliers like Trina Solar and Jinko Solar, who have struggled with lengthy delays in getting their products to the U.S.
The UFLPA bans products from Xinjiang, where reports suggest labor camps have been set up for Uyghur and other Muslim groups—an allegation China denies.
The movement of solar panels stuck at borders or awaiting shipment is expected to help clear the backlog, aiding U.S. solar project development that had been stalled since the law took effect in June last year.
The delays threatened to undermine the Biden administration’s clean energy and climate change objectives, according to industry insiders.
John Podesta, senior adviser to President Biden on clean energy, said on the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference, “There’s clearer guidance out, and we’re seeing more shipments coming through,” though he did not provide specifics on the volume.
A spokesperson for Trina Solar, Melissa Cavanagh, highlighted that their data systems and supply chain management provide “detailed traceability documentation” to U.S. Customs, reducing port delays significantly.
Under the UFLPA, all goods from Xinjiang are presumed to involve forced labor unless producers can prove otherwise with documentation tracing the supply chain back to the raw materials.
Jinko Solar, another major player, has also seen shipments released from detention, according to a source close to the company.
As of October, U.S. Customs and Border Protection had seized over 1,000 shipments of solar equipment under the UFLPA. None had initially been released.
The majority of these seized shipments were from Trina, Jinko, and Longi Green Energy Technology, who typically supply about a third of U.S. solar panels.
Longi Green Energy did not respond to requests for comment.
In a recent update, U.S. Customs revealed that they had released 374 of 1,433 detained electronics shipments under the UFLPA, but did not specify how many of these were solar products.
Polysilicon, the essential raw material for the solar industry, is a high-priority focus under the UFLPA, due to its significant presence in Xinjiang.
