Indian solar PV module manufacturer Gautam Solar has unveiled plans to establish a 2GW tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell production plant in India.
In a first phase, the company plans to invest INR10 billion (US$119 million) in the construction of the TOPCon plant with a 2GW annual nameplate capacity, for which it acquired a 60-acre parcel of land in the city of Bhiwani, located in the northern state of Haryana. However, the company is open to considering other locations for the construction of the plant.
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Gautam’s announcement comes a few days after the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) called for comments on its Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), which establishes which manufacturers and products can benefit from subsidies. The Indian government proposed a number of new rules regarding the inclusion of solar cells in the ALMM, which is expected to come into force on 1 April 2026.
The company’s 2GW solar cell plant is aligning itself with the government’s guidelines on solar cells and the ALMM, which aims to increase domestic manufacturing capacity and reduce the country’s dependency on imports.
Currently, Gautam has an operational module assembly plant in the city of Haridwar, in the north-east of India, and is expanding its module assembly plant in Bhiwani, where the company aims to expand its operations into solar cells. Overall, the company is expanding its annual nameplate capacity for modules to 3GW by 2024-25 and to 5GW by 2025-26.
Gautam Mohanka, CEO at Gautam Solar, said: “Our forthcoming 2GW solar cell manufacturing plant is aligning with MNRE’s guidelines on promoting indigenous manufacturing of solar cells. We have 27+ years of experience in the solar industry, and we are further strengthening our manufacturing by integrating solar cell production into our existing operations.”
Gautam Solar is the latest Indian solar manufacturer to unveil plans to build a solar cell manufacturing plant, with the Jakson Group recently unveiling a US$240 million investment to build a 2.5GW TOPCon solar cell plant, as it also aims to expand its module assembly plant to 2GW.
As India ramps up its solar manufacturing capacity with these recent announcements, the country has also increased its pace in installed PV capacity this year, with 15GW of additions in the first half of the year, according to data from market research firm Mercom India. Mercom’s numbers are slightly over fellow market research firm JMK Research, which estimated additions in H1 2024 of 12.2GW.
