MNRE issues draft amendment to extend ALMM to wafers from June 2028

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released a draft amendment proposing the inclusion of solar wafers under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM). The provision is planned to take effect from June 1, 2028.

According to the draft, ALMM List-III will cover wafers, with enlistment conditional on at least three independent wafer manufacturers having a combined capacity of 15 GW per year. Wafer manufacturers will also be required to maintain equivalent ingot manufacturing capacity to qualify for listing.

The framework links all levels of the solar supply chain to ALMM requirements. Solar modules must come from ALMM List-I, which in turn must use cells from ALMM List-II, and those cells must use wafers from ALMM List-III. Exemptions will apply to projects already exempted from ALMM solar cells.

Projects with bid submission deadlines on or before the cut-off date—defined as one month after issuance of the first ALMM wafer list—will not be required to use wafers from ALMM List-III, regardless of their commissioning timeline. This exemption will also apply if bids or PPAs were submitted before the cut-off date, but subsequent tenders were issued later.

Projects with bid deadlines after the cut-off date will be required to source modules, cells, and wafers from the respective ALMM lists. From the effective date, only those modules using ALMM-listed cells and wafers will remain in List-I. Non-compliant modules and cells will be shifted to separate lists to serve exempt project categories.

Net metering and open access projects commissioned before June 1, 2028, will be exempt from ALMM wafer requirements, though compliance with module and cell enlistment will continue. Those commissioned on or after the effective date will need to comply with ALMM across modules, cells, and wafers.

For captive projects owned by government entities, compliance requirements will be phased. Projects commissioned before June 1, 2026, will need to use only ALMM-listed modules. Between June 1, 2026, and May 31, 2028, both modules and cells must be from ALMM lists. From June 1, 2028, wafers will also be mandated.

Thin film solar modules from integrated manufacturing units already listed in ALMM will be deemed compliant with the cell and wafer enlistment requirements.

The draft further clarifies that there will be no relaxation of domestic content requirements under MNRE schemes, including PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, and CPSU Phase-II. Detailed guidelines for wafer enlistment under ALMM List-III will be issued separately.