Türkiye’s Ministry of Commerce has recently issued an order regulating solar panel imports from Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Croatia, and Jordan.

By regulating solar cell and module imports, Türkiye aims to create a level playing field for domestic and international renewable energy stakeholders.

The order is an extension of the measures outlined in last year’s Communiqué on the Prevention of Unfair Competition in Imports.

“The application of this measure is a direct response to attempts to circumvent existing surveillance on imports, particularly with re-exports from these countries following surveillance on Chinese-origin panels,” the government said.

The primary objective of the order is to regulate the import of solar photovoltaic cells, which attract customs tariffs. A guarantee of $25 per square meter has been specified for such imports.

It aims to establish procedures and principles governing the application of guarantees when an investigation is initiated against unfair competition in imports.

The guarantee amount is meant as a safeguard against unfair trade practices. The guarantees will be encashed if the measures are enforced following an investigation. Conversely, the guarantees will be returned to the importers if the investigation concludes without any measures.

Earlier this year, India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies initiated an anti-dumping investigation on imported textured, tempered, coated, and uncoated solar glass originating in or exporting from China and Vietnam.

Indian exports of solar components to Turkiye have so far been negligible.

According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook published in November 2023, Türkiye accounted for around 1% of the total global solar manufacturing capacity.

Hybrid power projects are becoming critical to Türkiye’s solar energy goals because of their capability to generate electricity from both primary and secondary sources connected to the grid at the same location, according to energy think tank Ember.