SECI Issues RfS for Selection of Solar PV Manufacturers under 19,500 Cr. PLI Scheme

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a Request for Selection (RfS) for Solar PhotoVoltaic (PV) manufacturers for manufacturing high-efficiency solar modules in India. This RfS has been floated under Tranche-II of Centre’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

A sum of 19,500 crore has been allotted for this tranche by the Union Government.

Gigawatt-Scale PV Manufacturers Invited Under Three Baskets of Funding

SECI’s RfS seeks manufacturers to produce high-efficiency PV equipment on Gigawatt scale. As per the requirements mentioned in the RfS documents, a manufacturer can opt for PV production under one of the stated three baskets.

Centre’s Scheme Allots 12,000 Cr. for Fully Integrated Solar PV Plants

The first basket invites those manufacturers which will be producing polycrystalline silicon or polysilicon, silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules. This means that the production of PV modules in this category will begin from scratch. A sum of Rs. 12,000 crore out of the total PLI scheme amount has been allotted to support manufacturers who apply under this basket. These fully integrated solar PV manufacturing facilities need to be ready within 3 years from the date of issuance of Letter of Award (LoA).

PV Wafer, Cell & Module Manufacturers to Get 4,500 Cr. PLI Funding

Manufacturers who intend to manufacture wafers, solar cells and solar modules are eligible to apply for the scheme in the second basket defined by SECI. These manufacturers will be sourcing polysilicon from elsewhere while executing the other production steps themselves. For this basket, a total of Rs. 4,500 crore has been allotted under the centre’s PLI scheme. Such manufacturers must have their PV production facilities ready within 2 years from the date of issuance of LoA.

PLI Scheme Allocates 3,000 Cr. for PV Solar Cell & Module Manufacturers

The third basket specified by SECI has an amount of Rs. 3,000 crore allotted to it out of the total PLI scheme amount. Manufacturers who opt to produce solar cells and modules while sourcing raw materials from elsewhere will fall under this category. In this case, PV manufacturing facilities should be ready within 18 months (1.5 years) from the date of issuance of LoA.

Last date for submission of applications under SECI’s RfS is 9th January 2023. Selection of successful bidders will be subject to the qualification requirements specified by SECI.

Centre Bullish on Making India Self-Reliant in PV Manufacturing

SECI’s RfS is in accordance with Tranche-II of Government‘s PLI scheme for solar PV manufacturing, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on 21st September 2022.

Tranche-II of PLI Scheme to Encourage 65 GW of PV Production

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Secretary, Ms. Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, has stated that this tranche of the scheme will encourage a PV module manufacturing capacity of 65 GW. Out of this 65 GW, 29 GW will come from fully integrated solar PV plants, that is, those facilities which will be developed under the first basket of SECI’s RfS.

The remaining 36 GW manufacturing capacity will come from the other two baskets, contributing 18 GW each.

As per MNRE, Tranche-II of the PLI scheme is expected to encourage investment of Rs. 94,000 crore in the Indian solar PV manufacturing sector.