India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has extended an exemption from the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-II requirements for solar PV cells for net-metering and open access renewable energy projects until 31 December 2026.
In a memorandum issued on 18 July, the ministry said the two project categories will continue to be allowed to commission without complying with ALMM List-II requirements for solar PV cells until the end of 2026. The previous exemption was due to expire on 31 May 2026.
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MNRE stressed there would be “no change” to the government’s policy on implementing ALMM List-II for solar PV cells, reaffirming that the extension is limited to net-metering and open access renewable energy projects rather than all solar installations.
Projects in these two categories commissioned on or before 31 December 2026 may continue using existing solar cell supply chains. However, projects commissioning from 1 January 2027 will be required to source solar PV cells exclusively from manufacturers included in ALMM List-II.
The latest office memorandum supersedes several notifications issued during May and June 2026 relating to the implementation of ALMM List-II for these project segments. It also revises earlier guidance under which net-metering and open access projects commissioning from 1 June 2026 were required to use both ALMM List-I-listed solar PV modules and ALMM List-II-approved solar PV cells.
According to MNRE, the decision followed consultations with stakeholders across the domestic solar industry and is intended to facilitate a smoother transition to mandatory domestic cell sourcing.
The ministry said the temporary relaxation would also support standalone solar module manufacturers by helping protect investments tied up in existing inventories through additional demand, while providing more time to increase procurement from ALMM List-II-listed solar cell manufacturers as approved domestic manufacturing capacity continues to expand.
MNRE reiterated that the measure is a limited, project-specific relaxation and should not be interpreted as a broader extension of ALMM List-II implementation. The ministry added that strengthening domestic solar PV manufacturing remains a key policy objective as India seeks to expand its role in the global solar manufacturing value chain.
