Indian independent power producer (IPP) ReNew Power has selected a site in the state of Gujarat for a new solar cell and module manufacturing facility that will have an annual capacity of 2GW.
Set to become operational by April 2023, the Dholera plant will manufacture cells and modules using monocrystalline PERC (passivated emitter and rear contact) and large wafer technology.
ReNew, which announced plans for the installation last year, said it has been allocated 100 acres of land for the vertically integrated facility, “ensuring adequate availability of land for future capacity expansion”.
In addition to supplying ReNew’s own utility-scale power generation business, the facility will sell components to other renewable energy companies in India.
Sumant Sinha, CEO of ReNew Power, said the plant will help the company to bring a “crucial function in-house”, adding: “We believe the new manufacturing unit will play an important role in boosting India’s domestic manufacturing capacity for clean energy.”
Sinha also praised the Indian government’s new production-linked incentive scheme for PV modules, which he said has “opened up several avenues for domestic manufacturing in the renewable energy sector”. The programme will allocate INR45 billion (US$603 million) over five years to support the development of high-efficiency modules in India.
According to ReNew Power, the domestic manufacture of cells and modules will also help it avoid paying new customs duties on imported equipment that will come into effect from April 2022.
ReNew, which has a portfolio of almost 10GW of solar and wind capacity in India, earlier this year entered into a merger agreement with a US special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that will result in the IPP becoming a publicly listed company. The transaction is expected to close by the end of June 2021.