Key points
- The White House said Trump will impose a 15% tariff and minimum import prices on polysilicon and its derivatives: wafers, solar cells and finished panels.
- T1 Energy (TE), a US solar maker, ran as high as $6.32 intraday, closed up 1.4% at $5.55, then rose to about $6.11 after hours.
- The tariff shields domestic panel makers but can raise costs for firms still importing cells, which is why TE round-tripped on the day.
- TE is down more than 50% from its June high of $12.49 and is not yet profitable.
The White House said President Trump will impose a 15% tariff on imported polysilicon and the products made from it, including wafers, solar cells and finished panels. The plan also sets minimum import prices, a floor below which those goods cannot be brought in. T1 Energy (TE), a US solar manufacturer based in Austin, rose after the regular close. It last traded near $6.11 after hours as of about 6:30 p.m. ET, up about 10% from its $5.55 close.
The day itself was choppier than that. TE opened lower, ran to $6.32 by late morning, up as much as 15% from Wednesday's close, then gave almost all of it back. It closed at $5.545, up 1.4% on the day, on volume near 61 million shares against a two-week average around 45 million. The after-hours move came once the White House confirmed the decision.
| Level | TE price | vs. prior close |
|---|---|---|
| Prior close (Aug 5) | $5.47 | 0% |
| Intraday high (Aug 6) | $6.32 | +15.5% |
| Regular close (Aug 6) | $5.55 | +1.4% |
| After hours (about 6:30 p.m. ET) | $6.11 | +11.8% |
What the tariff covers
The measure comes out of a Commerce Department investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, a national-security review the department opened about a year ago and was due to finish by August 5, Reuters reported. Section 232 lets the president restrict imports the government judges a security risk. The 15% duty is charged ad valorem, meaning as a percentage of the import's value, and it applies to raw polysilicon and its derivatives alike. The stated goal is to counter China and rebuild US polysilicon supply.
The plan pairs the tariff with a short-term offset for domestic manufacturers that still depend on imported polysilicon, on the condition that they commit capital to US projects, according to Reuters. The formal proclamation, with the price-floor levels, the offset terms and an effective date, had not been published as of Thursday evening, August 6.
The catch for T1 Energy
That offset detail matters for T1. The company runs a 5-gigawatt solar module plant in Texas and is building a 2.1-gigawatt solar cell factory in Austin that it expects to start producing in the first quarter of 2027, a project whose budget it raised 20% in late July. Until that cell line runs, T1 still buys cells and wafers made overseas. So the same tariff that protects its finished panels can raise what it pays for parts, and coverage of the decision noted its planned US cell production could face higher imported-material costs.
T1 was not the only solar name to move on the reporting this week. First Solar (FSLR) and Canadian Solar (CSIQ) also rose as the tariff plan circulated. Both sell panels with US content that a tariff on imported product would shield. TE itself had already run up 19% on August 3 on a 641-megawatt module order from Clearway.
The stock has a long way back. TE traded as high as $12.49 on June 4 and is down more than 50% since, part of a broad solar selloff through July. Federal solar tax credits that had supported demand expired July 4 under the tax-and-spending law Congress passed this year. T1 is not yet profitable, and it has flagged a funding gap on its factory expansion. The Commerce Department's detailed proclamation, with the price floors and an effective date, is still to come.
This is not investment advice. Check the live price before placing any order.
