Written by PPL Newsroom• October 7, 2026• 6:26 am• Policy

MNRE lifts approved solar cell capacity under ALMM List-II to 37,394 MW

The ministry’s 11th revision of the domestic cell list comes months after the cell-sourcing rule took effect on 1 June 2026 for many solar projects.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued the 11th revision of its approved list of domestic solar cell makers. The revision takes the total enlisted capacity under ALMM List-II to 37,394 MW. The list decides whose solar cells can go into modules used in many Indian projects, so each revision shows how much verified local capacity is available.

According to Mercom India, Premier Energies Photovoltaic added 529 MW of Mono PERC solar cells at its facility in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana. The report headline says Premier added this in the latest revision. The snippets of the report available to us did not give a full breakdown of other changes.

What the numbers mean

ALMM stands for Approved List of Models and Manufacturers. List-I covers solar modules, which are the finished panels. List-II covers the cells inside them. The ministry has said the capacity shown for a manufacturing unit in a revision is that unit’s enlisted capacity from the revision date, not a sum of earlier entries. So the 37,394 MW is a running total of approved annual production capacity, not a pile of separate additions.

The list has grown quickly. The first edition enlisted 13,066 MW across six manufacturers and nine units. The latest total is nearly three times that figure. In between, the fourth revision raised the total to 26 GW, and a February update took it from 26,477 MW to 27,753 MW. One industry explainer put the figure at 31,758 MW across 14 manufacturers as of August 2026.

Revisions also cover technology as well as volume. Reliance Industries brought heterojunction (HJT) cells into the list for the first time, with 1,238 MW. A ninth revision effective 21 August 2026 updated the efficiency ranges of four existing manufacturers and added new models from three more producers.

Why the list now matters more

The cell list is now in force, not just a register. ALMM List-II officially came into effect from 1 June 2026, and a ministry notice of 25 May 2026 restated that net-metering and open-access projects commissioned on or after that date must use List-I modules with List-II cells. Projects bid out earlier can be exempt. Those whose last bid date was on or before 31 August 2025 are exempt from the cell requirement.

The government’s stated aim, in its December 2024 notification, was to encourage domestic manufacturing of modules and cells and reduce reliance on imports. TaiyangNews noted concerns about short-term supply and cost pressures as the rule begins to apply.

What this means for India

For Indian developers and rooftop installers, a larger approved cell list means more domestic suppliers to choose from now that cell sourcing rules apply. Cells are a step deeper in the supply chain than assembled panels, so expanding this list directly addresses import dependence, which the ministry cited as its reason for the policy. Module capacity was reported at nearly 75 GW in early 2025, so cell capacity still trails it. Buyers should check that their supplier’s cells are on the current list.

What to watch next

The ministry’s earlier notification said wafers are to follow with their own list. That would extend verification one more step upstream. Further List-II revisions are likely as plants come online and makers add new models. Readers can check the MNRE website for the current official list.