15/08/2025
๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ป๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐-๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ต ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Recently, Indiaโs Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐) has officially enlisted the first batch of its ALMM List-II, a โWhite Listโ of approved solar cell manufacturers under its ALMM program. The list includes nine domestic production facilities under six manufacturers, with a combined annual capacity of 13 GWโmarking a significant step forward in Indiaโs drive to localize its solar supply chain.
The six approved manufacturers and their listed capacities are: ๐๐บ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ (1,553 MW), ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ๐ (751 MW + 1,174 MW), Adani Solarโs ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ (1,939 MW + 1,893 MW), ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฉ (1,766 MW), ๐๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น (339 MW + 440 MW), and ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ (3,212 MW), a subsidiary of US-based First Solar. Notably, First Solar India is the only thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) cell producer on the list, and its 3.21 GW capacity accounts for nearly a quarter of the total. The validity period extends from July 31, 2025, to July 30, 2029, barring FS India, whose validity ends on April 28, 2028.
Launched in 2019, the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (๐๐๐ ๐ ) has become a cornerstone of Indiaโs solar policy framework. According to ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐, by the end of June 2025, manufacturers in ALMM List-I (modules) had a total annual capacity of ๐ต๐ญ.๐ฒ ๐๐ช. With rapid domestic expansion, Indiaโs solar module import value has dropped sharplyโfrom USD 3.36 billion in FY 2021-22 to USD 2.15 billion in FY 2024-25.
The market backdrop is equally striking. By the end of 2024, Indiaโs cumulative solar capacity had reached 125.3 GW, making it the fourth country worldwide to cross the 100 GW threshold. 2024 annual additions hit 32.85 GWโup ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฎ.๐ณ% year-on-yearโpushing India to third globally for new capacity. Solar now accounts for 61% of the nationโs renewable installed base and remains central to achieving the 2030 target of 500 GW in renewables.
Yet, a structural imbalance persists: India's domestic solar manufacturing currently focuses more on modules than cells. In 2024, the country imported 65.9 GW worth of solar products, with cells making up almost 64% of the totalโunderscoring a domestic cell production shortfall. ALMM List-II may be able to address this gap, with a crucial rule kicking in from ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ญ, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ: all government-linked solar projects must use both cells and modules from the approved ALMM lists.
Under the twin drivers of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and ALMM mandates, Indiaโs manufacturing base is scaling up quickly. Still, full supply-chain self-reliance will take time, as equipment and raw material imports remain significant. For global PV companies, aligning with India's policy trends and deepening local partnerships could unlock opportunities as the country transitions from capacity expansion to quality upgrades. With its cell bottleneck gradually easing, Indiaโs path toward solar manufacturing self-sufficiency is accelerating.