US president Donald Trump has brought in new tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, which will hit batteries – the kind of move Samsung SDI said could benefit its Korea-based manufacturing.
The rhetoric around new and increased trade barriers between the US and China affecting batteries, battery materials and BESS has ramped up in the past few weeks, and we hear from a lawyer and a political analyst.
Dan Finn-Foley of Clean Energy Associates looks at the road ahead for the US battery storage industry in the first of a series of regular, exclusive Guest Blogs for Energy-Storage.news.
Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional 10% tariffs on all goods from China once he takes office, which would compound existing tariffs the BESS industry already has to deal with.
Hithium has become the latest overseas player to seek to onshore production of battery energy storage system (BESS) equipment and components in the US.
US lawmakers have accused lithium-ion battery OEMs CATL and Gotion High-Tech of having supply chain connections to forced labour and Uyghur oppression in China – a claim the firms adamantly deny – and called on an immediate block on shipments of their products.
The new tariffs on batteries from China will increase costs for US BESS integrators by 11-16%, consultancy Clean Energy Associates said, adding that new guidance around the domestic content ITC adder will make it easier to access.