Tariffs on energy storage products in Yaounde

Mitigating tariff risk in battery energy storage system (BESS) projects is crucial for ensuring project financial viability, as tariff changes can significantly affect cost structures and overall project economics.

There have also been indications that the US administration may consider other tariff proposals impacting energy storage, such as a 10–20% universal tariff, tariffs of up to 60% across the board on Chinese-origin goods, and tariffs of 25% on Mexican and Canadian origin goods.

Two major areas of international trade that will remain causes of concern for energy storage projects are the application of tariffs and supply chain integrity.

With respect to energy storage development—and particularly, the supply of batteries and components—which were a priority over both the Trump-Pence and the Biden administrations, it seems more likely that tariffs would be utilized as regulatory control rather than a negotiating tactic.

An interesting issue will be the imposition of tariffs. There are existing tariffs pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on some Chinese-origin lithium-ion EV batteries and non-lithium-ion battery parts, which were increased to 25% in September 2024.

Tariffs on Chinese-origin lithium-ion non-EV batteries are scheduled to increase to 25% effective January 1, 2026. Otherwise, batteries of non-Chinese origin storage batteries have not been subject to multi-front targeted tariff or duty actions.