WTO Appellate Body Gives US a Win in Solar Dispute with India

A World Trade Organization Appellate Body found in favor of the Obama administration’s challenge to Indian domestic content requirements that developers of solar products in that country use Indian-manufactured cells and modules, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said (here). The appellate body rejected all of India’s defensive arguments, USTR said. India filed a notice of appeal April 20, after the WTO in February ruled in favor of the U.S. (see 1604220010). U.S. solar exports to India have dropped by more than 90 percent since the 2011 enactment of India’s National Solar Mission, USTR said. “Local content requirements are not only contrary to WTO rules, but actually undermine our efforts to promote clean energy by requiring the use of more expensive and less efficient equipment, making it more difficult for clean energy sources to be cost-competitive,” U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement.