U.S. Transformer Fair Trade Coalition Applauds Commerce Department's Affirmative Preliminary Determination in Antidumping Duty Case Against Large Power Transformers from Korea

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Transformer Fair Trade Coalition supports the U.S. Department of Commerce ("Commerce") preliminary determination that imports of liquid dielectric large power transformers ("LPTs") from Korea are being dumped in the United States at average dumping margins of 21.79 percent for Hyundai Heavy Industries ("Hyundai") and 38.07 percent for Hyosung Corporation ("Hyosung").  The average dumping margin for all other Korean producers was found to be 29.93 percent.  As a result of this determination, Commerce will immediately order U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require the deposit of estimated dumping duties or the posting of a bond on all entries of LPTs from Korea beginning with the publication of the preliminary determination by Commerce in the Federal Register next week. 

The U.S. Transformer Fair Trade Coalition, an ad hoc coalition of domestic transformer producers, filed the trade action on July 14, 2011, in response to a large and increasing volume of dumped imports of LPTs from Korea over the past three years that has injured domestic LPT producers.  The petitioners in the coalition are ABB Inc. of Cary, North Carolina, Delta Star, Inc. of Lynchburg, Virginia, and Pennsylvania Transformer Technology, Inc. of Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania.

"The petitioners are very pleased that Commerce confirmed significant antidumping duty margins for the Korean producers, as we had alleged.  These dumping margins demonstrate just how aggressively the Korean producers have acted in selling large power transformers into the U.S. market," commented Alan Luberda, the domestic industry's lead trade counsel.  

The Commerce Department will next attempt to verify the information submitted by the Korean producers and will announce its final determination in June 2012.  The preliminary determination of dumping also signals that the U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC") will begin its final injury investigation, which will be completed in July 2012.  If Commerce makes a final affirmative determination of dumping and the ITC makes a final affirmative injury or threat of injury determination, an antidumping duty order will be issued on all imports of LPTs from Korea for a minimum of five years. 

Large power transformers are components used extensively in high voltage electrical power transmission systems to transfer power by electromagnetic induction between circuits at the same frequency, usually with changed values of voltage and current.  The scope of the investigation covers liquid dielectric large power transformers with a top rating of 60 MVA or more.  The petitioners are represented in these actions by R. Alan Luberda and Kathleen W. Cannon of the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.

SOURCE U.S. Transformer Fair Trade Coalition