Bharat Electronics and NHPC to establish gigawatt-scale solar manufacturing site in India

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
NHPC established a joint venture to develop 500MW of floating PV in India last January. Image: Unsplash.

Two Indian state-owned companies, Bharat Electronics (BEL) and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a gigawatt-scale solar manufacturing site in India.

The companies have yet to disclose any information regarding to the technology used and when it will be operational, with the only information given that it will be a “vertically integrated solar manufacturing unit”.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The announcement comes in line with the Indian government’s drive to establish a domestic manufacturing base in order to reduce the country’s dependency on solar imports from Chinese manufacturers.

India is set to double its solar module production capacity by the end of 2023 with an extra 18GW of capacity, according to JMK Research & Analysts.

Moreover, the country has been facing a 38% price increase in PV modules since 2020 which most recently has been in part impacted by the recent basic customs duty (BCD) that has been in place since 1 April 2022.

Earlier this year, NHCP established a joint venture (JV) with the Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Ltd (GEDCOL) for the development of 500MW of floating solar PV projects in the eastern state of Odisha.

The state-run power firm currently has more than 2.5GW of solar PV projects in different tender stages across India, with several projects involving floating solar PV.

Read Next

October 6, 2025
Indian solar developer ACME Group has established a new subsidiary to manage its renewable equipment manufacturing business, under which it is planning to scale production of TOPCon PV modules.
October 6, 2025
Rajasthan government will develop 500MW/2,000MWh of standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a four-hour single-cycle configuration and extended operational life.
October 2, 2025
The Indian solar industry has 86GW and 182GW of solar cell and module manufacturing capacity, respectively, expected to be commissioned by 2027.
October 2, 2025
The Indian Department of Commerce has launched an antidumping investigation on solar encapsulants originating or exported from South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.
September 29, 2025
Indian solar manufacturer Waaree has said it does not expect to pay additional duties on its solar cell imports to the US, following the start of an antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
September 26, 2025
The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has added 4.8GW of annual solar cell nameplate capacity to its Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-II.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland