Brazil is the No. 3 buyer of Chinese solar modules in September, driven by an import quota

China exported about 22.13 GW of PV modules in September 2026, up 45% from August’s 15.26 GW and the highest monthly volume since March, according to customs data compiled by InfoLink and published on October 28. Against September 2025, volumes fell 17%. January–September exports totalled 180.84 GW, 12% below a year earlier.

Brazil was the third-largest destination in the month, after the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, with about 0.97 GW, its fourth consecutive monthly increase. Year to date it has taken 7.70 GW. InfoLink attributes this to the import quota window: centralised projects above 5 MW pay a tariff cut from 25% to 9.6% until July 2027, encouraging early purchases. In distributed generation, the phased TUSD Fio B charge under Law 14.300 keeps holding demand back, the consultancy says.

September’s jump was concentrated: Saudi Arabia alone accounted for about 1.87 GW of the increase, as deliveries delayed by higher Middle East freight and insurance were released. Cell exports reached 14.01 GW, with Kenya taking 3.45 GW, which InfoLink sees as an assembly hub for re-export. Chinese TOPCon utility modules in Europe cost about US$0.113 per watt.

CSP take: flows to Brazil are driven by a regulatory deadline, not a demand turnaround. Developers and EPCs should plan module arrivals within the quota window and negotiate prices knowing polysilicon has stopped falling. This reading is ours, not InfoLink’s.