India's PLI Scheme Powers 18.5 GW Modules, 9.7 GW Cells, 2.2 GW Ingot-Wafer Production, Says Minister

India has issued Letters of Award (LoA) to three bidders for setting up 8.737 GW of fully integrated solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing units, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy and Power Shripad Yesso Naik told Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Responding to a query on manufacturing capacity approved under Tranche-I and Tranche-II of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for high-efficiency solar PV modules, Naik said that under Tranche-I, three successful bidders were awarded LoAs to establish 8.737 GW of fully integrated solar PV module units.

On the number of companies selected under both tranches and their proposed manufacturing locations, the minister said that under Tranche-II, 11 bidders were awarded LoAs to set up 39.6 GW of fully or partially integrated solar PV module units. These companies may locate their plants anywhere in India, he added, noting that the state-wise location details are based on information provided by the firms.

Manufacturing Capacity of Solar Modules under PLI Scheme’

On the status of these projects, Naik said, “Some segments of the awarded projects have become operational. According to the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) and information received from the manufacturers, the solar manufacturing capacities installed under the PLI Scheme as of June 30, 2025. This includes 18.5 GW of solar modules, 9.7 GW of solar cells, and 2.2 GW of ingot-wafer. The aforesaid manufacturing capacity of solar PV cells and modules includes 3.2 GW fully integrated thin film solar PV module manufacturing capacity.”

Furthermore, the minister added, “The timeline for full operationalisation depends on factors such as land acquisition, financial closure, equipment procurement, installation and commissioning, making it difficult to assign a fixed date.”

The minister explained the impact of this scheme on reducing India’s dependence on imported solar PV modules. He said, “As per the website about Export-Import Data Bank of the Department of Commerce, solar module imports to India have declined from 3363.21 million USD in FY 2021-22 to 2,151.75 million USD in FY 2024-25.”

The PLI scheme, launched on April 28, 2021, aims to promote the manufacturing of high-efficiency solar PV modules in India and reduce import dependency in the solar energy sector, the minister said.

Naik said the scheme is reducing India’s dependence on imported solar modules, with imports falling from USD 3.36 billion in FY2021-22 to USD 2.15 billion in FY2024-25, citing Department of Commerce data.