b'6American Journal of Transportation ajot.comEscalating US-ChinaChinas port shutdown raises fears solar rift threatensof closures worldwideBiden green goalsA Covid outbreak that has partially shut one ofreopening and manufacturing picking up.ThefirstbigtestofJoeBidensloftyclean- theworldsbusiestcontainerportsisheighteningNingbo-Zhoushan Port said in a statement that powerambitionsmaynotbesweepingclimateconcerns that the rapid spread of the delta variant willall other terminals aside from Meishan have been legislationthatneedscongressionalapproval,butlead to a repeat of last years shipping nightmares. operating normally. The port is actively negotiating managing a solar supply chain thats being shakenThePortofLos Angeles,whichsawitsvol- withshippingcompanies,directingthemtoother by the seizure of imported Chinese panels. umes dip because of a June Covid outbreak at theterminals, and releasing information on a real-time Multiple companies have now had solar com- Yantian port in China, is bracing for another poten- data platform, it said.ponents detained at U.S. ports in the aftermath oftial decline because of the latest shutdown at theTo minimize the impact, its also adjusting the a Biden administration ban on equipment that mayNingbo-Zhoushan port in China, a spokesman said.operating time of other terminals to make sure clients haveusedrawmaterialsoriginallyfromHoshineAntonPosner,chiefexecutiveofficerofsupply- can clear their shipments. A spokesman for the port Silicon Industry Co., according to people familiarchainmanagementcompanyMercuryResources,said there were no further updates when contacted.with the situation who asked for anonymity whilesaidthatmanycompaniescharteringshipsare discussing sensitive trade issues. already adding Covid contract clauses as insurancec ompanyR EactionsThe seizures come amid a new push by someso they wont have to pay for stranded ships. Some ships that docked at the Meishan terminal U.S. solar manufacturers to extend tariffs to China- It seemed as if things were just starting to calmbefore the closure are suspending cargo operations linkedfactoriesinVietnam,MalaysiaandThai- down, and were now into delta delays, Emma- untiltheterminalre-opens,accordingtoanotice land,theU.S.slargestpanelsuppliers.Togethernouil Xidias, partner at Ifchor North America LLC,sent by shipping line CMA CGM SA to shippers.the developments threaten to disrupt the U.S. solarsaid in a phone interview. Youre going to have aOther vessels which usually call at the Meishan market, potentially jeopardizing Bidens goal of asecondary hit. terminalwillstopattheBeilunterminalinstead, carbon-free power sector by 2035. TheshutdownatNingbo-Zhoushanisraisingaccording to a statement from A.P. Moller-Maersk Thedisruptiveandharmfulimpactofnewfears that ports around the world will soon face theA/S. One of the companys ships will skip Ningbo trade petitions and Customs and Border Protectionsame kind of outbreaks and Covid restrictions thatthis week, it said.enforcementactioncannotbeunderstated,Solarslowed the flows of everything from perishable foodWe are working on contingency plans in order EnergyIndustriesAssociationPresidentAbigailto electronics last year as the pandemic took hold.to mitigate the likely impact on our vessel schedules RossHoppersaidinanemailtomembershoursInfections are threatening to spread at docks just asandcargooperations,OrientOverseasContainer after the petitions were filed. The disruption to thethe worlds shipping system is already strugglingLine, a subsidiary of Orient Overseas International U.S. solar market could be severe. tohandleunprecedenteddemandwitheconomies(FEARcontinued on page 10)Solar developers now are scrambling to prove incominggoodssomeofwhichmayhavebeen ordered months before the Biden banare free of Hoshine material. A major solar-panel maker warned thisweekthatallimportsfromChinariskbeing detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.TheBidenadministrationsorderispartof efforts to confront alleged human-rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. China denies the allegations, which it claims are an attempt to undermine suc-cessful businesses.Hoshine is the worlds largest manufacturer of metallurgical silicon, which is refined into polysili-con, the key material in solar panels. The material is so many steps removed from completed panels that just about any module coming to the U.S. cant yet prove it doesnt contain Hoshine material, Philip Shen, an analyst at Roth Capital Partners, said in a research note.d omEsticm anufactuRingIn some respects, there has never been a brighter moment for solar power in the U.S. Installations are booming, and Biden appeared poised to deliver the most progressive climate presidency in historyon the heels of an administration steadfast on boosting fossil fuels. And yet, the industrys supply chain has been battered by higher costs, including for modules and freight.Solar panels already cost about 40% more in the U.S. than the rest of the world, and expanded tariffs could lift prices further, according to Jenny Chase, BloombergNEFsheadofglobalsolarresearch. U.S.companiesthatdevelopandbuildprojects wouldcertainlysufferintheshorttermasU.S. module prices would go even higher, she said.While developers may be hurt, any moves that make imports more expensive would help level the playing field for companies that want to manufacture solar equipment on U.S. soil. That would be a boost to another part of Bidens agendaunion jobs.Trade actions against imported solar products may counter President Bidens climate agenda, Tim-othy Fox, a vice president of ClearView Energy Part-ners, said in an interview. But they also could further his union and domestic manufacturing agenda.A spokesman for the White House didnt immedi-ately respond to a request for comment on the matter.s EizuREc ostsCanadian Solar Inc. said that four of its sample modules shipped from China to its U.S. office were held last week by officials due to a sourcing issue, and that all Chinese shipments were at risk of being stopped at the border.Othercompanieshavealsobeenaffected, with multiple containers seized at different ports, (RIFTcontinued on page 7)'