Hanwha Q Cells Faces U.S. Customs Detention Over UFLPA Concerns

Some solar cells of Hanhua QCells have been detained by US Customs.

The news comes from a post posted on social media by Christian Roselund, Senior Policy Analyst at the Clean Energy Association (CEA), on Tuesday (August 5th). According to the South Korean daily Dong-A-Ilbo, the Korean made battery cells shipped by Hanwha Q Cells to its Georgia factory have been detained since June 2025 due to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

Han Hua said that at present, he is explaining to the US customs authorities that there is no violation of relevant regulations, and actively cooperating with their data requirements.

Regarding the quantity of seized products, Hanwha Q Cells stated that "only a small number of products that will not hinder local production", but if this situation persists for a long time, the situation may change.

Some interpretations suggest that the obstruction of customs clearance this time may be influenced by changes in US environmental policies. The Trump administration is reducing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) subsidies originally planned by former President Joe Biden's administration.

It is reported that Hanwha Q Cells is investing 3.2 trillion Korean won to build a solar energy integrated production base in Georgia, USA. At present, the company only operates a module factory for assembling solar cells in the United States, but plans to complete the vertical integration of raw materials and components from silicon ingots (polycrystalline silicon blocks), silicon wafers to solar cells (solar cells) by the end of this year, and establish a comprehensive production base.

Hanhua had expected to receive over 900 billion Korean won in subsidies from the US government this year if the construction plan for the solar energy integrated production base was successfully promoted, but has recently lowered this target amount to around 700 billion Korean won.