Feb 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday will reveal a preliminary decision on whether to impose anti-subsidy duties on solar cells and panels imported from India, Laos and Indonesia.

The announcement is the first of two expected by the agency in the coming weeks in a trade case brought by a group representing a portion of the small U.S. solar manufacturing sector. Commerce is likely to make final determinations later this year.

Monday's decision on countervailing duties will consider whether companies operating in the three countries received unfair government subsidies that make American products uncompetitive. Commerce is set to make a separate decision next month on whether those companies flooded the U.S. market at prices below their cost of production.

The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade includes South Korea's Hanwha Qcells 000880.KS and Arizona-based First Solar FSLR.O, which are seeking to protect billions of dollars in investments in U.S. factories.

The group's petition, filed in July, accuses Chinese companies of shifting production from nations that received U.S. tariffs to Indonesia and Laos, and also accuses Indian-headquartered manufacturers of dumping cheap goods in the United States.

The group has succeeded previously in winning tariffs on imports from countries in Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Diane Craft)

((nichola.groom@thomsonreuters.com;))