The U.S. Commerce Department is set to announce a preliminary decision on imposing anti-subsidy duties on solar cells and panels imported from India, Laos, and Indonesia. This decision is part of a trade case brought by a group representing a portion of the small U.S. solar manufacturing sector. Final determinations are expected later this year.

The decision will focus on whether companies in the three countries received unfair government subsidies, making American products uncompetitive. A separate decision next month will determine if these companies flooded the U.S. market at prices below their cost of production. The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, including Hanwha Qcells and First Solar, seek to protect investments in U.S. factories.

A petition filed by the group in July accuses Chinese companies of shifting production to Indonesia and Laos to avoid U.S. tariffs, and Indian manufacturers of dumping cheap goods in the U.S. The group has previously won tariffs on imports from Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

The Commerce Department’s decision is crucial for the U.S. solar manufacturing sector, with billions of investments at stake. The final determinations later this year will have significant implications for the industry.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: US to make tariff decision on solar panels from India, Indonesia and Laos