The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) recently added 37 entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, including five companies involved in the solar market.
Initiated in June 2022, the UFLPA bans all imported goods from Xinjiang, an area in China that the United States determined uses slave labor of the Uyghur people, an ethnic minority in the region. Recent additions to the Entity List include companies not physically sited in Xinjiang but that likely use materials from Xinjiang in their products, as determined by the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force.
“With each addition to the UFLPA Entity List, we are building momentum and showing that our efforts are sustainable and enduring in eradicating forced labor in our nation’s supply chains,” said Robert Paschall, acting under secretary for policy at DHS. “This largest-ever batch of additions reinforces that we are implementing the full force of this law, making impactful updates to the UFLPA Entity List, and enhancing U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s enforcement capabilities.”
Solar-related companies added to the ban include:
Donghai JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd.: A solar energy technology company located in Jiangsu Province, China, that focuses on the research, development and production of silicon rods, wafers, ingots, cells and modules. The U.S. government believes Donghai JA Solar sources polysilicon from Xinjiang.
Hongyuan Green Energy Co., Ltd. (also known as HY Solar; and Hoyuan Green Energy Co. Ltd., and formerly known as Wuxi Shangji CNC Co., Ltd.; Wuxi Shangji Automation Co., Ltd.; and Wuxi Shangji Grinding Machine Co., Ltd.) and Hongyuan New Materials (Baotou) Co., Ltd.: A vertically integrated green energy manufacturing company located in Jiangsu Province, China, involved with equipment manufacturing and the production of crystalline silicon, silicon wafers, batteries and modules. The U.S. government believes Hongyuan Green Energy and Hongyuan New Materials source polysilicon from Xinjiang.
Jiangsu Meike Solar Technology Co., Ltd. and Baotou Meike Silicon Energy Co., Ltd.: A silicon rod and wafer manufacturer located in Jiangsu Province, China. The U.S. government believes the companies source polysilicon from Xinjiang.
Shuangliang Silicon Materials (Batou) Co., Ltd.: A company located in Batou City, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, that researches, develops, processes, manufactures and sells single crystal silicon rods and wafers. The U.S. government believes it sources polysilicon from Xinjiang.
Xinjiang Energy (Group) Co., Ltd. and Xinjiang Energy (Group) Real Estate Co., Ltd.: A developer of PV and other energy resources, located in Xinjiang. Xinjiang Energy is a wholly state-owned enterprise, funded by the People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and directly supervised by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of the XUAR. The U.S. government believes Xinjiang Energy uses slave labor in its business operations.
China is the world’s leading provider of polysilicon, with much of that production focused in Xinjiang. Solar players in the region have been adjusting their supply chains to comply with UFLPA. CBP requires importers to provide complete supply chain documentation, including a list of all entities associated with each step of production.
The five solar companies added to the ban list this week join previous listees Hoshine Silicon, Daqo New Energy, East Hope and GCL New Energy. See the full UFLPA Entity List here.
