The Indian Market is Changing Dramatically! ALMM List Officially takes effect

On March 29, 2024, the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy officially announced that the ALMM (Approved Model and Manufacturer List) of solar photovoltaic modules should take effect from April 1, 2024.

Each project that receives solar PV modules before March 31, 2024, but is unable to be operational by that date due to reasons beyond the control of the renewable energy power developer will be reviewed individually.

It is reported that India's photovoltaic ALMM policy has been introduced before in order to support local manufacturing in India. However, because India's local photovoltaic production capacity cannot meet demand, it was pardoned and postponed. The official announcement from India will take effect on April 1, which means that there will be no amnesty or extension this time.

It is reported that in October 2018, India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) issued an order to collect qualified solar module models and manufacturers, and published a list called "Approval List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM)" A list used to monitor the quality and reliability of components used in government-owned solar projects.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India requires that only photovoltaic modules, inverter models and manufacturers included in the ALMM list are eligible to be used in government photovoltaic projects, government-funded photovoltaic projects, and photovoltaic projects under government plans in India.

In January 2023, MNRE released an updated list of photovoltaic module models and manufacturers, which included 83 photovoltaic module manufacturers. It is worth noting that as of now, no Chinese component brands are included in the ALMM list.

The implementation of the list means that Indian government-related projects will no longer use overseas photovoltaic modules, including those from China. On the one hand, this is beneficial to India's local photovoltaic module manufacturers and reduces India's dependence on imported modules in the photovoltaic industry; on the other hand, India's locally manufactured photovoltaic products cannot meet project needs and are more expensive than imported modules. The implementation of the ALMM list will Limit local EPC procurement options and increase costs.