T1 Energy backs Trump administration's Section 232 action on polysilicon imports

Trump imposed a new 15% duty on products made with polysilicon and introduced minimum prices for some related imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, expanding U.S. efforts to shield domestic chip and solar supply chains from Chinese competition. The move lifted solar stocks in premarket trading Friday, with First Solar up more than 7%, Solaredge Technologies rising 1% and the Invesco Solar ETF gaining 4%. T1 Energy had already backed the administration's Section 232 action on polysilicon and derivative imports, saying a minimum import price would help support U.S. solar manufacturing, jobs and domestic energy supply chains. The company said the policy fits its strategy to build a vertically integrated American solar supply chain, supported by previously disclosed supply contracts for U.S.-made polysilicon and wafers from Hemlock Semiconductor and Corning. T1 said its 5GW G1_Dallas module facility can produce enough solar modules each year to generate electricity equivalent to the usage of more than one million American homes, while its 2.1GW G2_Austin solar cell fab is under construction and expected to produce its first cells in the first quarter of 2027. Chairman & CEO Dan Barcelo called the decision a win for advanced American manufacturing and domestic energy investment.