Indian Solar Players Under Pressure After US Hikes Duty But Waaree Energies Says It Has A Workaround

At a time when Indian solar manufacturers have been hit with a preliminary 126% duties on solar exports to the United States, the management of Waaree Energies Ltd, the country's biggest solar exporter, has described the development as "deja vu" while adding that the company spent the last year preparing for such trade barriers.

Speaking to NDTV Profit, Abhishek Pareek, Group Head of Finance at Waaree Group, said the company is heavily insulated from the duty through its aggressive domestic US manufacturing. 

"What we as an organisation realised is that in the new realities of the world, we have to keep working towards our supply chain resilience," Pareek said.

He revealed that the company currently serves more than 70% to 75% of its U.S. orders from its local American facilities. With 1.6 GW of capacity already live and additional units under construction, Pareek expects Waaree to reach 4.2 GW of U.S.-based capacity by early next year.

For the remaining exports originating from India, Waaree plans to bypass the 126% duty by utilising "alternate supply chains in the Middle East and African markets" for solar cell sourcing.

Because U.S. customs focus on the country of origin for the solar cells within a module, Pareek noted that using non-Indian cells allows life to "continue to be the same as it was over the last 12 months".

While major players like Waaree utilise global sourcing to mitigate impact, the duty remains a significant hurdle for the broader Indian industry, including Vikram Solar and Premier Energies. A final determination on the duties is expected by July 6, 2026.

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