Notice2026-10426
Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Amended Preliminary Determination of the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation
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
May 26, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending its preliminarily affirmative determination in the less-than-fair value (LTFV) investigation of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules (solar cells), from the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) to correct significant ministerial errors. The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 100 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30619-30620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-10426]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-553-003]
Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled
Into Modules, From the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Amended
Preliminary Determination of the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending its
preliminarily affirmative determination in the less-than-fair value
(LTFV) investigation of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether
or not assembled into modules (solar cells), from the Lao People's
Democratic Republic (Laos) to correct significant ministerial errors.
The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2025, through June 30,
2025.
DATES: Applicable May 26, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lilit Astvatsatrian, 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) 482-6412.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On April 28, 2026, Commerce published in the Federal Register its
preliminary affirmative determination in the LTFV investigation of
solar cells from Laos.\1\ On April 29, 2026, the Alliance for American
Solar Manufacturing and Trade (the petitioner) timely alleged that
Commerce made significant ministerial errors in calculating Solarspace
Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd.'s (Solarspace's) preliminary estimated
weighted-average dumping margin.\2\
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\1\ See Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not
Assembled Into Modules, from the Lao People's Democratic Republic:
Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair
Value, Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Critical
Circumstances, in Part, and Postponement of Final Determination and
Extension of Provisional Measures, 91 FR 22794 (April 28, 2026)
(Preliminary Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision
Memorandum.
\2\ See Petitioner's Letter, ``Ministerial Error Allegation for
the Preliminary Determination'' dated April 29, 2026 (Petitioner
Ministerial Errors Allegation).
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Scope of the Investigation
The products covered by this investigation are solar cells from
Laos. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation,
see the Preliminary Determination.\3\
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\3\ See Preliminary Determination, 91 FR at 22796-98.
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Legal Framework
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.224(e), Commerce will correct any
significant ministerial error by amending the preliminary
determination. A ministerial error is defined as including errors ``in
addition, subtraction, or other arithmetic function, clerical error
resulting from inaccurate copying, duplication, or the like, and any
other similar type of unintentional error which {Commerce{time}
considers ministerial.'' \4\ A ministerial error is considered to be
``significant'' if its correction, either singly or in combination with
other errors, would result in: (1) a change of at least five absolute
percentage points in, but not less than 25 percent of, the weighted-
average dumping margin calculated in the preliminary determination; or
(2) a difference between a weighted-average dumping margin of zero (or
de minimis) and a weighted-average dumping margin of greater than de
minimis or vice versa.\5\
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\4\ See section 735(e) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended
(the Act); see also 19 CFR 351.224(f); and, e.g., Alloy Piping
Prods. v. United States, 20 1 F. Supp. 2d 1267, 1285 (CIT 2002)
(``The error in question must be demonstrated to be a clerical
error, not a methodological error, an error in judgment. or a
substantive error'').
\5\ See 19 CFR 351.224(g).
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Analysis of Significant Ministerial Errors
The petitioner alleges that Commerce: (1) erred by relying on
surrogate value (SV) data for a 12-month period, instead of the six-
month POI; and (2) failed to convert the truck freight SV reported on a
per-kilogram basis to the same square meter basis as the SV for solar
glass.\6\ We find that the petitioner's allegations constitute
significant ministerial errors within the meaning of section 735(e) of
the Act and 19 CFR 351.224(f) and (g)(1), because correcting for these
errors increases Solarspace's preliminary weighted-average dumping
margin from 22.46 to 33.57 percent, which is a change that is at least
five absolute percentage points in, but not less than 25 percent of,
the weighted-average dumping margin calculated for Solarspace in the
Preliminary Determination. Accordingly, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.224(e),
we are amending the Preliminary Determination to correct these
significant ministerial errors and revise the weighted-average dumping
margin for Solarspace.
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\6\ See Petitioner Ministerial Errors Allegation.
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Further, because we assigned Solarspace's weighted-average dumping
margin to the non-individually examined separate rate respondents and
the Laos-wide entity, Commerce is also amending its Preliminary
Determination for the non-examined separate rate companies and the
Laos-wide entity. For a detailed discussion of the alleged significant
ministerial errors, as well as Commerce's analysis, see the Ministerial
Error Memorandum.\7\
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\7\ See Memorandum, ``Analysis of Ministerial Error Allegations
for the Preliminary Determination,'' dated concurrently with this
notice (Ministerial Error Memorandum).
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Finally, we are correcting the name of the producer of the
merchandise exported by separate rate respondent SolarSpace Technology
(Hong Kong) Limited to be Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd.
in the producer/exporter combination listed in the table below.\8\
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\8\ In the Preliminary Determination, we incorrectly listed
SolarSpace Technology (Hong Kong) Limited as both the producer and
exporter of subject merchandise.
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Amended Preliminary Determination
As a result of correcting these significant ministerial errors,
Commerce determines the following estimated weighted-average dumping
margins exist:
[[Page 30620]]
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Cash deposit rate
Weighted-average (adjusted for
Producer Exporter dumping margin subsidy offset)
(percent) (percent)
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Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd. Solarspace Technology (Laos) 33.57 33.17
Sole Co., Ltd.
Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd. JA Solar Vietnam Co. Ltd..... 33.57 33.17
Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd. SolarSpace Technology (Hong 33.57 33.17
Kong) Limited.
Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd. Trina Solar Energy 33.57 33.17
Development Pte. Ltd.
Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co., Ltd. Trina Solar Science & 33.57 33.17
Technology (Thailand)
Company Limited.
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Laos-Wide Entity.......................................................... 33.57 33.17
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Disclosure
We intend to disclose the calculations performed for this amended
preliminary determination to parties within five days after public
announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days
of the date of publication of this notice, in accordance with 19 CFR
351.224(b).
Amended Cash Deposits and Suspension of Liquidation
The collection of cash deposits and suspension of liquidation will
be revised according to the rates established in this amended
preliminary determination, in accordance with section 773(d) of the
Act. Because this amended preliminary determination results in
increased cash deposit rates, these rates will be effective on the date
of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. These suspension
of liquidation instructions will remain in effect until further notice.
U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Notification
In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, we intend to notify
the ITC of our amended preliminary determination.
Notification to Interested Parties
This amended preliminary determination is issued and published in
accordance with sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR
351.224(e).
Dated: May 20, 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.
[FR Doc. 2026-10426 Filed 5-22-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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