Duties on Chinese Wind Towers

Summary#

On October 18, 2023, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued final findings that certain wind towers from China were dumped and subsidized under the Special Import Measures Act. Provisional duties are staying in place while the Canada International Trade Tribunal (CITT) finishes an injury inquiry and must decide by November 17, 2023; if the CITT finds injury, anti‑dumping and/or countervailing duties will apply to future imports.

What it does#

• Declares that wind towers imported from China were dumped and subsidized.
• Identifies the common tariff classifications for these goods as 7308.20.00.00 and, in some cases when imported with other turbine parts, 8502.31.00.00.
• Keeps provisional duties in effect on those imports until the CITT issues its decision (deadline November 17, 2023).
• Says that if the CITT finds the dumping/subsidizing caused or threatens injury, formal anti‑dumping and/or countervailing duties will be applied to future importations and importers will have to pay them.
• Notes that the Customs Act will govern how those duties are accounted for and paid.
• Promises a Statement of Reasons explaining the decisions will be published on the CBSA website within 15 days of the decision.

Who's affected#

• Importers and customs brokers bringing wind towers or related turbine assemblies from China into Canada.
• Canadian buyers of imported wind towers, including power developers and utilities that source towers from abroad.
• The Canadian wind tower manufacturing sector, which is the subject of the CITT injury inquiry.
• Other parties in the wind-turbine supply chain may notice price or sourcing changes.
• If it’s unclear who else might be affected, the notice does not spell out additional groups beyond importers and the domestic industry.

Why it matters#

• Continued provisional duties can raise the cost or change the availability of wind towers from China for Canadian projects.
• If the CITT finds injury and duties are imposed long-term, importers and buyers may face higher prices or need to find other suppliers.
• The measure is intended to protect Canadian producers from unfairly priced imports, which could influence domestic manufacturing and jobs in the wind-tower sector.