CEL has launched a tender seeking bidders for a 200 MW solar module manufacturing line
It will be established at the company’s Sahibabad facility on a revenue-sharing basis
The project aims to contribute to the country’s call for Make in India
Central Electronics Limited (CEL) has invited bids for the development of a 200 MW solar module manufacturing line at its Sahibabad location under the country’s Make in India initiative.
Government of India-owned solar PV manufacturer CEL seeks to establish the line on a revenue-sharing model. Bids to be submitted must be valid for a minimum period of 90 days from the date of opening of the request for proposals (RFP).
The tender was launched on April 24, 2025 with a submission date of May 14, 2025. Details of the tender are available on CEL’s website.
CEL has a 40 MW solar module production capacity, but high production costs made the modules uncompetitive and unprofitable. According to its 2023-24 Annual Report, the solar PV division was incurring losses since its inception. During FY 2021-22, it incurred a loss of INR 343.3 million ($4.13 million).
To cut losses, the company outsourced manufacturing to RCRS Innovations in FY 2023-24. Following the outsourcing, CEL says it has significantly reduced its fixed costs, curbing its division’s operational loss by over 60% in a single year. Earlier in 2020, the government was looking for buyers for CEL and found one, but later it terminated the sale, according to local media reports.
India’s solar module production capacity has grown to around 80 GW now and is projected to become a 160 GW market by 2030, but needs to improve on further vertical integration, according to the CEO of the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), Subrahmanyam Pulipaka. He made this observation during the TaiyangNews Solar Technology Conference.India 2025 (see TaiyangNews STC.I 2025 Day 1: Innovation & Strategic Collaborations Key To India’s Solar Manufacturing Success Story).