Multiple European solar manufacturers have announced plans to close factories in recent months. — Reuters
BRUSSELS: Europe’s solar panel manufacturing industry has urged the European Union (EU) to step in with emergency measures to avoid local firms shutting down under price pressure from Chinese imports, a letter seen by Reuters shows.
Multiple European solar manufacturers have announced plans to close factories in recent months, citing pressure from a flood of imports and an oversupply of solar panel parts that have piled up in European warehouses and pushed down prices.
In a letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, industry group the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) warned that without rapid help, the EU risked losing more than half of its operational solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing capacity within weeks.
“Over the next four to eight weeks, major EU PV module producers and their European suppliers are poised to shut down manufacturing lines unless substantial emergency measures are promptly implemented,” said the letter.
ESMC asked the EU to launch emergency measures including a scheme to buy up excess inventories of EU solar modules to ease the oversupply, and change state aid rules to boost government support. — Reuters
