The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced the expansion of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) to include solar ingots and wafers, effective from 1 June 2028. This strategic move, detailed by Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi, introduces ALMM List-III, extending mandatory domestic sourcing requirements further up the supply chain beyond modules and cells.
The framework aims to deepen domestic value addition and reduce heavy reliance on imports for these critical intermediate components. To ensure market readiness, the initial list will only be issued once at least three independent manufacturing units achieve a combined domestic capacity of 15 GW. This expansion is a significant step toward Atmanirbhar Bharat and India’s target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
Key Provisions of the ALMM List-III (Ingots & Wafers)
Effective Date: 1 June 2028; from this date, all solar projects (including net-metering and open access) must use ALMM-listed wafers.
Mandatory Upstream Integration: Manufacturers seeking enlistment for wafers must also possess equivalent ingot manufacturing capacity.
Module List Integrity: Post-implementation, ALMM List-I (Modules) will only include products manufactured using both ALMM-listed cells and ALMM-listed wafers.
Capacity Threshold: The initial list will be published only after 3 independent units reach a total capacity of 15 GW, ensuring adequate domestic supply.
Grandfathering Provisions: Projects already in the pipeline or those with bids submitted before the cut-off date (7 days after the first list is published) are protected to avoid disruption.
Domestic Content Requirement (DCR): This order reinforces and does not dilute existing DCR provisions under current MNRE schemes.
What is the "ALMM Framework"? The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) is a quality-and-reliability framework introduced in 2019 to ensure that solar equipment used in Indian projects meets strict domestic manufacturing standards. It serves as a regulatory gatekeeper, requiring projects awarded through competitive bidding or those using net-metering to source components only from listed manufacturers. Since its inception, ALMM has successfully stimulated investment, with module manufacturing capacity growing from 8.2 GW in 2021 to 172 GW currently. By expanding to ingots and wafers, the framework now seeks to secure the entire value chain, ensuring quality, traceability, and supply chain resilience against international disruptions.
What are ingots and wafers? In the solar photovoltaic manufacturing chain, ingots are the first solid-state form of high-purity silicon, created by melting polysilicon and cooling it into large, single-crystal or multi-crystalline blocks. These heavy ingots are then precision-cut using diamond wire saws into ultra-thin, square slices known as wafers, which serve as the fundamental substrate for solar cells. Because wafers are the critical intermediate stage where raw material is transformed into a semiconductor base, they are essential for determining the eventual efficiency and quality of the final solar module. While India has significantly expanded its module and cell production, it has historically remained heavily reliant on imports for these upstream components, a gap that the new ALMM List-III framework seeks to close by 2028.
Policy Relevance: Securing the Solar Supply Chain
Deepening Domestic Value Addition: Moving up the value chain to ingots and wafers addresses a critical vulnerability in India's solar ecosystem, which remains heavily dependent on imported intermediates.
Enhancing Supply Chain Security: The 15 GW domestic capacity threshold ensures that the mandate for local sourcing is only triggered when the Indian manufacturing base is robust enough to meet demand.
Ensuring Component Traceability: Mandatory ALMM listing for wafers ensures high-fidelity quality standards and origin-tracking from the wafer level all the way to the final module.
Driving Upstream Investment: By requiring wafer manufacturers to have ingot capacity, the policy encourages integrated manufacturing units, which reduces logistical costs and increases global competitiveness.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What technical support or PLI (Production Linked Incentive) alignment will be provided to help domestic firms establish ingot and wafer facilities before the 2028 deadline?
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