Idle solar plants told to restart

Published Aug 26, 2014

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INDIA’S power minister has asked domestic solar equipment makers to restart idled capacities, pledging the government would ensure buyers for their products. The assurance came as India failed to announce dumping duties by Friday’s deadline on competing US and Asian imports. The levies threatened to stall projects in the region’s third-biggest solar market and escalate a protectionist trade war under way between the US, Europe and China. “We will ensure domestic manufacturers are taken care of, while not allowing that to become a restricting factor” for the broader industry, Power Minister Piyush Goyal told a meeting of solar executives. Cell makers have idled as much as three-quarters of their production as they were unable to compete against cheaper imports. – Bloomberg

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