Starting from June 2026, Indian clean energy companies will be required to use solar photovoltaic (PV) modules made from locally produced cells by government-approved manufacturers, as part of efforts to reduce imports from China, the leading supplier.

India already mandates the use of domestically made PV modules in government projects, sourced from a list of approved manufacturers, and this policy has now been extended to include solar cells as well.

The government aims to increase its non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030, up from the current 156 GW.

At present, India's solar PV module production capacity stands at around 80 gigawatts (GW), with its solar cell manufacturing capacity slightly exceeding 7 GW, with companies largely dependent on Chinese cells for module production.

The renewable energy ministry announced that a list of approved solar cell manufacturers will be released, as the country's installed capacity for solar PV cells is expected to grow significantly next year.

Several Indian companies are already in the process of setting up or have established solar cell manufacturing plants. For instance, Tata Power has recently inaugurated a 4.3 GW solar cell production facility in southern India. Reliance Industries plans to complete the first phase of its 20 GW integrated solar cell and module manufacturing plant in Gujarat by the end of this year. The Adani Group has also established a 4 GW solar cell and module production plant in the same state.