Solar inverters from China: New values on import of various types issued

ISLAMABAD: The Directorate General of Customs Valuation, Karachi has issued new customs values on the import of 23 different types of solar inverters from China. In this regard, the directorate has issued a new valuation ruling (2015 of 2025) on Thursday.

The directorate has issued custom values on the import of three different categories of solar inverters including hybrid solar inverters (9 types), off-grid solar inverters (3 types) and on-grid solar inverters (11 types).

Different customs values would be applicable on the import of Hybrid Solar Inverters, On-Grid Solar Inverters and Off-Grid Solar Inverters.

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The values mentioned for hybrid solar inverters are for brands that are recognised as manufacturers of solar inverters classified as Tier-I companies/internationally or nationally established companies and include: Huawei, Inverex, Goodwe, Growatt, Solis, Sungrow, Fronius, Solax, Sineng, ABB, SMA, and others.

These brands import Ingress Protection (IP 65 and IP 66) solar inverters and if other brands import IP 65 and IP 66 hybrid solar inverters, relevant values shall also apply on these goods.

Generally, off-grid solar inverters above 06 KWs are not imported. Besides, in case of any further ambiguity regarding the description of mentioned goods, the clearance Collectorate may refer to the manufacturer’s website and/or get it tested from reputable labs such as NED or UET, ruling added.

Details of the issue revealed that the customs values of solar inverters were previously determined under Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969, vide Valuation Ruling No1913 of 2024. This ruling was subsequently challenged under Section 25-D of the Customs Act before the Director General of Customs Valuation, Karachi.

In response, the Director General issued Order-in-Revision No 08/2025 dated 04.02.2025, directing are evaluation of the determined values and recommending a further subdivision of the categories (capacities) outlined in the impugned ruling. Accordingly, the Directorate of Customs Valuation initiated a re-determination exercise in line with the provisions of Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969.

The importers contended that the customs values assigned to solar inverters under the disputed valuation ruling were excessively high and warranted revision. They further proposed that the categorisation of inverters be refined by introducing sub-divisions based on their respective capacities to better reflect market dynamics.

In response, the Director of Valuation instructed the stakeholders to furnish relevant documentary evidence-including export Goods Declarations (GDs), Letters of Credit (LCs), and other banking instrument to substantiate their claims. Additionally, concerns were raised regarding definitional ambiguities related to “off-grid inverters”. These issues were deliberated upon in detail, leading to a clarification of the distinctions between hybrid, on-grid, and off-grid solar inverter types:

(i) Hybrid Inverters: A hybrid solar inverter is an inverter that can integrate solar PV power, battery storage and the electrical grid connectivity. This allows solar energy to be used directly, stored for later use, or fed back into the grid (if in excess). As such, generally hybrid invertors contain a separate terminal for feeding excess power into grid.

(ii) On-Grid Inverters: An on-grid solar inverter converts solar power for direct use in the public electricity grid without battery storage (No battery connection ports). This type of inverter operates only when connected to the grid and will enter standby mode if a grid failure is detected.

(iii) Off-Grid Inverters: An off-grid inverter can function from the power of solar energy (PV Modules), battery storage, and AC/Grid/Genset connectivity through its input ports. Such units can use solar PV power, battery storage, and AC input power. Such units are especially suited where grid power is unstable or if there is no need to feed the surplus solar PV power to the grid (no net metering function).

Automatically switches (by pass the household load) to AC or generator power when solar/battery storage is unavailable. As such the presence of AC input does not make it a hybrid inverter.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025