Notice2026-03477
Silicon Metal From Angola: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Classification of Angola as a Non-Market Economy
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 23, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that silicon metal from Angola is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation is April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025. Commerce has also determined to treat Angola as a non-market economy (NME) in forthcoming proceedings.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8419-8420]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03477]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-762-001]
Silicon Metal From Angola: Final Affirmative Determination of
Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Classification of Angola as a Non-
Market Economy
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that
silicon metal from Angola is being, or is likely to be, sold in the
United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of
investigation is April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025. Commerce has
also determined to treat Angola as a non-market economy (NME) in
forthcoming proceedings.
DATES: Applicable February 23, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Doyle, AD/CVD Operations,
Office IX, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-5882.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On September 30, 2025, Commerce published the Preliminary
Determination of sales at LTFV of silicon metal from Angola and invited
interested parties to comment.\1\ No interested party submitted
comments on the Preliminary Determination. Accordingly, the final
determination remains unchanged from the Preliminary Determination and,
thus, there is no decision memorandum accompanying this notice.
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\1\ See Silicon Metal from Angola: Preliminary Affirmative
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 90 FR 46810
(September 30, 2025) (Preliminary Determination); see also Silicon
Metal from Angola: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at
Less-Than-Fair-Value; Correction, 90 FR 52913 (November 24, 2025)
(correcting the end date of the POI listed in the Preliminary
Determination).
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Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown,
on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative
proceedings by 47 days.\2\ Additionally, due to a backlog of documents
that were electronically filed via Enforcement and Compliance's
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Access
System (ACCESS) during the Federal Government shutdown, on November 24,
2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by an
additional 21 days.\3\ Accordingly, the deadline for the final
determination is now February 17, 2026.
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\2\ See Memorandum, ``Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the
Federal Government,'' dated November 14, 2025.
\3\ See Memorandum, ``Tolling of all Case Deadlines,'' dated
November 24, 2025.
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On February 5, 2026, Commerce solicited surrogate country and
surrogate value information from interested parties,\4\ and we received
comments from the petitioners, Ferroglobe USA, Inc. and Mississippi
Silicon LLC.\5\
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\4\ See Commerce's Letter, ``Request for Surrogate Country and
Surrogate Value Information,'' dated February 5, 2026; see also
Commerce's Letter, ``Revised Request for Surrogate Country and
Surrogate Value Information,'' dated February 6, 2026.
\5\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Response to Request for Surrogate
Country and Surrogate Value Information,'' dated February 10, 2026.
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Scope of the Investigation
The product covered by this investigation is silicon metal from
Angola. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation,
see the appendix to this notice.
Scope Comments
We received no comments from interested parties on the scope of the
investigation as it appeared in the Preliminary Determination.
Therefore, we made no changes to the scope of the investigation.
Verification
As Commerce had no participating respondents in this investigation,
no on-site verification was conducted.
Use of Adverse Facts Available (AFA)
As discussed in the Preliminary Determination, Commerce
preliminarily assigned to PC Silicon Co. Limited (PC Silicon) and
Wanhongda International Limited (Wanhongda), two companies that did not
respond to our quantity and value questionnaire, estimated weighted-
average dumping margins on the basis of AFA pursuant to sections 776(a)
and (b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).\6\ There is no
new information on the record that would cause us to revisit our
decision in the Preliminary Determination. Accordingly, for this final
determination, we continue to find that the application of AFA,
pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act, is warranted with
respect to PC Silicon and Wanhongda in this investigation.
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\6\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 46810.
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All-Others Rate
Section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provides that the estimated
weighted-average dumping margin for all other producers and exporters
not individually investigated shall be equal to the weighted average of
the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for
exporters and producers individually investigated excluding rates that
are zero, de minimis, or determined entirely under section 776 of the
Act.
In the Preliminary Determination, we assigned an estimated
weighted-average dumping margin of 68.45 percent as the all-others
rate, pursuant to section 735(c)(5)(B) of the Act.\7\ As noted above,
we received no comments on the Preliminary Determination; thus, we
continue to assign an estimated weighted-average dumping margin of
[[Page 8420]]
68.45 percent as the all-others rate for this final determination.
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\7\ Id.
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Final Determination
The final estimated weighted-average dumping margins are as
follows:
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Estimated
weighted-
average
Producer or exporter dumping
margin
(percent)
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PC Silicon Co. Limited...................................... * 68.45
Wanhongda International Limited............................. * 68.45
All Others.................................................. 68.45
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* This rate is based on facts available with adverse inferences.
Angola's Market Economy Status
For this final determination, Commerce has determined to treat
Angola as an NME in forthcoming proceedings.\8\ Consistent with
Commerce's practice,\9\ this determination will apply to future
segments of this proceeding, and Commerce has relied on its market
economy methodology in determining the estimated weighted-average
dumping margins for this final determination. A detailed explanation of
this determination along with discussion of the comments and factual
information submitted concerning this determination can be found in the
NME Analysis Report, issued concurrently with this memorandum.
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\8\ See Memorandum, ``Review of Angola's Status as a Market
Economy Country,'' dated concurrently with this notice (NME Analysis
Report).
\9\ See Emulsion Styrene-Butadiene Rubber from the Russian
Federation: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value and Classification of the Russian Federation as a Non-
Market Economy, 87 FR 69002 (November 17, 2022) (finding Russia's
NME status effective for subsequent proceedings).
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Commerce intends to use its NME methodology to calculate
antidumping duty (AD) rates in future segments of AD proceedings
involving Angola.
Disclosure
Normally, Commerce will disclose to the parties in a proceeding the
calculations performed in connection with a final determination within
five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
However, because Commerce received no comments on the Preliminary
Determination, it is adopting the Preliminary Determination as the
final determination in this investigation. Consequently, there are no
new calculations to disclose.
Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation and Cash Deposit Requirements
As a result of our Preliminary Determination, and pursuant to
sections 733(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, we instructed U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits and suspend
liquidation of entries of subject merchandise from Angola that were
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, on or after
September 30, 2025, the date of the publication of the Preliminary
Determination in the Federal Register.\10\ In accordance with section
733(d) of the Act, we instructed CBP to discontinue the suspension of
liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise entered or withdrawn
from warehouse, on or after January 28, 2026, but to continue the
suspension of liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise on or
before January 27, 2026.
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\10\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 46811.
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If the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issues an
affirmative final injury determination, we will issue an AD order,
reinstate the suspension of liquidation under section 736(a) of the
Act, and require a cash deposit of estimated antidumping duties for
entries of subject merchandise in the amounts indicated above. Pursuant
to section 735(c)(2) of the Act, if the ITC determines that material
injury, or threat of material injury, does not exist, this proceeding
will be terminated, and all estimated duties deposited as a result of
the suspension of liquidation will be refunded.
ITC Notification
In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, Commerce will notify
the ITC of its final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV.
Because Commerce's final determination is affirmative, in accordance
with section 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will determine, within 45
days, whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially
injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of imports of
silicon metal. If the ITC determines that material injury or threat of
material injury does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated, all
cash deposits posted will be refunded, and suspension of liquidation
will be lifted. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist,
Commerce will issue an AD order directing CBP to assess, upon further
instruction by Commerce, antidumping duties on all imports of the
subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for
consumption on or after the effective date of the suspension of
liquidation, as discussed in the ``Continuation of Suspension of
Liquidation and Cash Deposit Requirements'' section above.
Administrative Protective Order (APO)
This notice will serve as the only reminder to parties subject to
an APO of their responsibility concerning the disposition of
proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR
351.305(a)(3). Timely written notification of the return or destruction
of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby
requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO
is a violation subject to sanction.
Notification to Interested Parties
This determination is issued and published in accordance with
sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.210(c).
Dated: February 17, 2026.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the
non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix
Scope of the Investigation
The scope of this investigation covers all forms and sizes of
silicon metal, including silicon metal powder. Silicon metal
contains at least 85.00 percent but less than 99.99 percent silicon,
and less than 4.00 percent iron, by actual weight. Semiconductor
grade silicon (merchandise containing at least 99.99 percent silicon
by actual weight and classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule
of the United States (HTSUS) subheading 2804.61.0000) is excluded
from the scope of this investigation.
Silicon metal is currently classifiable under subheadings
2804.69.1000 and 2804.69.5000 of the HTSUS. While the HTSUS numbers
are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written
description of the scope remains dispositive.
[FR Doc. 2026-03477 Filed 2-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 23, 2026.
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