Latest ALMM Update: India’s Enlisted Solar Module Capacity Up By 3.5GW

Latest ALMM Update: India’s Enlisted Solar Module Capacity Up By 3.5GW

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has now published its revised list of ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers of Solar PV Modules). The latest list shows 83 local solar module manufacturing entities/plants in the country.

The revised list portrays additional new capacities of 3,501 MW. The increase in the capacities is primarily due to the entry of a new entrant, TP Solar Limited, the newly-started solar module manufacturing plant of Tata Power in Tamil Nadu, for which announcements were made at the Tamil Nadu Investors Summit earlier. Another addition of new capacities came from Gujarat-based solar module manufacturing firm Goldi Solar.

While the Tirunelveli new-Tata Power (TP) Solar Limited manufacturing unit enlisted 2525 MW of additional solar module manufacturing capacity for the first time in the ALMM list, Goldi Solar added 396 MW of new capacities from its plant based in the Navsari district in Gujarat. With the latest addition of the new capacities, India’s total module manufacturing capacity expanded to 37.42 GW.

As per the ALMM list, Waaree topped the list with the highest capacity of 10,775 MW, Mundra Solar Energy with 4,100 MW, and Tata Power with a total of 3,112 MW (including the latest additions from TP Power Limited). Others leading in the list included Vikram Solar (2,424 MW) and Goldi Solar (2209 MW). 

The ministry, however, also issued additional amended norms on the same day to prescribe new minimum threshold efficiencies to quality as an enlistment under the ALMM list. The MNRE regularly updates the ALMM list to include the new models and new capacities offered by domestic solar module manufacturers.

Originally, the ALMM scheme was envisaged to protect domestic solar module manufacturers by giving them the privilege of domestic government solar projects. However, later, the condition was withheld to allow further expansion of the solar sector in India in scale. It was treated as a non-tariff barrier to boost local production.