Indian PV manufacturer Waaree Energies is eyeing a major push in the US market after receiving an order for more than 300MW of mono PERC modules in the country.
In a deal worth US$105 million, the modules will be supplied for an undisclosed project in California that already has a power purchase agreement in place and is expected to be commissioned in the second or third quarter of 2021.
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Sunil Rathi, Waaree sales and marketing director, said the deal shows the capabilities of Indian solar manufacturers to compete globally.
“We have recently completed the supply of 50MW modules for a Fortune 500 company in USA, and are expecting more such developments in USA,” he said, adding that the firm is planning to open a new office in California.
Waaree has now supplied more than 3GW of solar modules globally and commissioned more than 600MW of solar EPC projects in India and Southeast Asia.
Waaree’s bid to increase its presence internationally comes amidst ongoing uncertainty over the potential for new import tariffs in India to boost domestic solar manufacturing. The company’s chairman recently called on the Indian government to bring in a basic customs duty of at least 50% to protect domestic solar equipment manufacturers from imports, a far greater tariff than the ones currently in place.
Speaking in his capacity as chairman of trade body All India Solar Industries Association, Hitesh Doshi told PV Tech that producers in India need further production as there exists as a “significant” manufacturing cost difference between India and China.
That proposed 50% rate would be introduced on top of India’s 14.9% safeguard duty that has been extended for another year and is levied on all solar cells and modules imported from China, Thailand and Vietnam.