Federal Agents Raid Two US Facilities of China’s Jinko Solar

A worker lifts a solar panel in the Yingli Solar factory in Baoding, Hebei province, on September 30, 2010. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted raids at a factory and a sales office run by China’s Jinko Solar Holding Co. Ltd., one of the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world, according to a statement from the DHS to The Epoch Times on Wednesday.

Local media reported that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were seen at the company’s plants in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as at its sales and operations office in San Francisco, California, on May 8.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and local law enforcement were also at the scene of the Florida raid.

According to the spokesman for the Homeland Security Investigations arm of the DHS, Mike Meares, the search was part of an ongoing federal investigation.

“The search warrants in Jacksonville and San Francisco are part of an ongoing federal investigation,” Meares told The Epoch Times by email. “There is nothing more to provide at this time.”

Meares disclosed neither the reason for the warrant nor the nature of the probe.

Headquartered in Shanghai, Jinko Solar is among a small number of global solar manufacturers setting up operations in the United States.

Despite the investigation, the company’s spokesperson stated that its business was unaffected, and that it was actively cooperating with the relevant agencies to understand the nature of the inquiry.

In a statement to PV Magazine, Jinko Solar emphasized its commitment to ethical standards and complying with the laws and regulations of the countries where it conducts its business.

The raid comes as solar panels of Chinese origin are coming under intense scrutiny. The House Rules Committee voted on April 26 in favor of a bill to undo the Biden administration’s emergency move that shielded some Chinese-made solar panels from U.S. tariffs.

The rule in question followed Biden’s June 2022 emergency proclamation (pdf) that sought to waive tariffs on solar panels from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia for 24 months.

However, a Commerce Department probe found that China’s solar manufacturers were evading U.S. tariffs by rerouting their production through three of these Southeast Asian countries.

Although the large Chinese producer has a presence in Malaysia and provides the United States with modules from the Southeast Asian facility, the Commerce Department probe found that Jinko’s Malaysian operations were not circumventing the tariffs.

Shipments Detained

Last year, however, Jinko Solar was on the list of Chinese makers that had shipments of solar equipment detained by U.S. customs agents under the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA).

President Joe Biden signed the UFLPA into law in December of 2021. The ruling bans imports from China’s Xinjiang region unless the importer can prove that the products were not produced using forced labor.

Seeking Incentives

Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Jinko Solar has more than two dozen manufacturing facilities worldwide.

Opened in 2018, the manufacturing plant at AllianceFlorida at the Cecil Commerce Center was the first facility that the Chinese solar company had set up in the United States.

Since opening, the 400 MW and 283,652-square-foot Jacksonville plant has created 274 jobs from an investment of more than $63 million, according to the company’s summary to the City Council.

The Chinese producer is contemplating a $52-million expansion that would result in the creation of an additional 250 full-time jobs by Dec. 31, 2026, Jaxdailyrecord reported.

“Due to overwhelming growth and demand of its product, Jinko Solar needs to triple their current capacity,” Jinko said in its summary to the City Council.

This could imply at least an 800-MW manufacturing increase, boosting Jinko’s total manufacturing capacity in the United States to over 1 GW.

However, the search warrant execution on Monday forced the local City Council to postpone voting on a taxpayer incentive agreement that was expected to pass easily at the council meeting on Tuesday. The measure will now be considered by the City Council on June 13.

Jinko shares fell 8 percent on Tuesday after various local news sites reported on the raid in Florida. On Wednesday, the stock recovered marginally, up 29 cents to $43.76 on the New York Stock Exchange in late afternoon trading.

Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.