Shariff Barakat Comments in Power Finance & Risk on Solar Tariff Extension

Power Finance & Risk has quoted Akin Gump tax and global project finance partner Shariff Barakat in its article “Biden extends Trump-era solar tariffs with one major exception.” The article examines the Biden-Harris administration’s decision to extend the Section 201 safeguard tariffs on imported crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) solar panels and on imported CSPV solar cells above an annual 5-gigawatt tariff rate quota.

However, the publication notes, bifacial solar panels, a significant component of several utility-scale solar projects, are excluded from the safeguard tariffs. Commenting on the decision, Barakat said, “The bifacial exclusion in particular is a big win given the lack of significant domestic production capacity. I think generally developers are just happy to have resolution on this policy issue and certainty going forward.”

While the exclusion is a significant benefit for the solar industry, some domestic solar panel manufacturers are “deeply disappointed” with the decision, saying that the move “un-levels” the playing field between domestic and foreign manufacturers of those panels, according to Barakat.

Over the last several years, a team from Akin Gump has represented Solar Energy Industries Association to find a balanced solution to Section 201 tariffs and preserve the exclusion for bifacial panels. Learn more here.