pv magazine Webinar | Navigating the UFLPA: Geopolitical Risk in the PV Supply Chain

On Dec. 23, 2021, the United States took a major step towards addressing allegations of forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, with President Joe Biden signing into law The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). Now, after six months of speculation, the law has gone into effect, with major implications for the composition of the global supply chain, including raw materials for the solar industry.

Xinjiang is home to 50% of the global supply of polysilicon, an essential material in conventional solar modules. How much of this supply will be affected by UFLPA and other pending global forced labor legislation? The key to assessing what UFLPA will mean for the solar industry at large comes down to understanding how the law is written and, more importantly, how it will be implemented.

In this pv magazine Webinar, our partner, Clean Energy Associates, will outline how the law is written, how it will be implemented, and dive into the larger market implications of UFLPA. Christian Roselund, senior policy analyst at CEA, will also cover techniques that module buyers can institute to help avoid product detainment, seizures, and rejections under UFLPA. CEA will also explore other potential markets that could emerge to replace supply lost by UFLPA implementation.

In addition to UFLPA, The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning crimes against the Uyghur people in China and calling for a ban on the import of products made by forced labor. This legislation carries its own ramifications, as it will further restrict where companies operating in Xinjiang can export their raw materials.
Martin Deak, associate director of supply chain management with CEA will join the conversation to provide insight and perspective into how implementation of UFLPA and pending legislation in Europe will affect global supply chains, and analyze which markets across the world could emerge to fill the void in supply.

pv magazine Webinar content:
• A deeper understanding of the UFLPA and how it works
• Insights into the larger market implications of UFLPA
• Pending European legislation that may work in tandem with UFLPA to address concerns about forced labor in solar supply chains
• Restrictions on imports associated with forced labor
• Techniques for module buyers to help avoid product that could be detained/seized/excluded under UFLPA
• Markets that could emerge to replace supply lost by UFLPA implementation
• Q&A

Questions can be submitted beforehand or during the webinar through a chat window. Tim Sylvia from pv magazine USA will be the moderator of this webinar.
Registration for this pv magazine Webinar is free of charge.