First Solar Applauds Section 232 Action on Polysilicon & Derivatives

First Solar, Inc. voiced strong support for the Trump Administration’s action on imports of polysilicon and its derivatives under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, a move aimed at loosening China’s grip on a critical supply chain.

Polysilicon is a foundational input for crystalline silicon solar modules, and Chinese producers control over 90% of the global supply, a concentration that is itself a security risk. That control has given a single government outsized sway over the cost and availability of the material and its derivatives, created opaque supply chains that carry forced labor exposure, and enabled anti-competitive measures at a cost to American solar manufacturers and their workers.

“First Solar strongly commends the Trump Administration’s Section 232 national security action on polysilicon and its derivatives, one of the most strategically significant trade measures in decades,” said Mark Widmar, chief executive officer of First Solar. “For years, China-linked supply chains dumped below cost and circumvented US laws to undercut American workers and their livelihoods, while creating a strategic vulnerability. This action closes that loophole, and it is built to be enforced, with a minimum import price, an ad valorem tariff behind it, and real consequences for violators. That is the fair shot at a level playing field that American manufacturers and workers have earned.”

A study commissioned by First Solar and conducted by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, released earlier this year, estimated that First Solar supported nearly 30,000 American jobs and $3.0 billion in labor income in 2025. The company also contributed approximately $5.8 billion to US gross domestic product (GDP). 

The analysis projects that by 2027, First Solar will support more than 39,000 jobs and $4.0 billion in labor income and contribute approximately $7.8 billion to US GDP.

By the end of 2026, First Solar expects to have invested over $5 billion in American manufacturing and R&D infrastructure since 2019, and by 2027 it forecasts approximately 17 gigawatts (GW) of US module manufacturing capacity, none of which has any dependence on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains.

Widmar added, “As we built the largest solar manufacturing and supply chain footprint in the country, we’ve long argued that how and where solar technology is made matters, and the Administration’s actions recognize that. In particular, the incentive structure, coupled with a hard-to-game framework, is a clear signal that the Administration is committed to ending America’s dependence on China for critical solar energy technology and building the jobs, investment, and manufacturing capacity to match.”