The European Commission said Tuesday it had launched an antidumping investigation into imports of silicon originating in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Brazil into the European Union.
The move follows a complaint lodged on November 8 by Ferroatlantica and Ferropem, representing more than 85% of the total EU production of silicon.
The product subject to the investigation is material with a silicon content of less than 99.99% by actual weight, which is mainly used in the metallurgical industry as an alloying agent and in the aluminum industry to produce primary and secondary aluminum.
"The complainants have provided evidence that imports of the product under investigation from the countries concerned have increased overall in absolute terms and in terms of market share," the EC said in a notice in the EU Official journal.
"The evidence provided by the complainants shows that the volume and the prices of the imported product under investigation have had, among other consequences, a negative impact on the level of prices charged by the Union industry, resulting in substantial adverse effects on the overall performance and on the financial situation of the Union industry since 2014," it added.
Initial calculations show that the dumping margins "for both Bosnia & Herzegovina and Brazil are "significant," the EC said.
The investigation of dumping and injury will cover the period from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017, while the examination of trends relevant for the assessment of injury will cover the period from January 1, 2014 to the end of the investigation period.
The investigation will be concluded within 15 months of Tuesday's publication of the notice in the Official Journal, while provisional measures may be imposed no later than nine months from the publication date, the EC said.
Antidumping duties ranging from 16.3%-16.8% are already in place on imports of silicon into the EU from China.
