Bidding for Rs 195-bn solar module PLI-2 within a week

19 Oct 2022 CW Team

The government is planning to invite bids within a week for the Rs 195-billion second tranche of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for solar modules. Scheme guidelines for PLI-2 have already been published, said Renewable Energy Minister Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi.

“Our module capacities have more than doubled in the last seven and a half years. They are now 20 GW, but the same cannot be said about the cells, which is 4.5 GW,” Chaturedi said, speaking at an event on Aatmanirbhar Bharat organized by CII this week. But the situation would change, the minister suggested, considering the projects under PLI-1 and now PLI-2.

By 2026, India is aiming at capacities of 38 GW in polysilicons, 56 GW in ingots and wafers, 70-80 GW in cells and 90-100 GW in modules, Chaturvedi said.

“Our targets are huge … [but] the outlook for solar manufacturing seems good," the minister added.

Power and renewable energy minister R K Singh said the government is considering giving deemed distribution licences in the renewable energy space. He stressed the need to generate green hydrogen instead of decarbonised hydrogen. He said some developed countries have proposed decarbonised hydrogen, which may involve methane and carbon dioxide emissions.

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