Avaada has laid the foundation stone for its new super factory in Maharashtra’s Nagpur
It will host an ingot-to-module production capacity using TOPCon solar technology
Phase I will bring online 5 GW of solar cells and 3 GW of module capacity, and also create ancillary units
India’s Avaada Group has picked Maharashtra’s Nagpur for what it says will be a super factory that will produce ingots-wafers, cells and modules, along with batteries, electrolyzers, and also ancillary units like module glass and frames.
To be built for an investment of INR 136.5 billion ($1.63 billion), phase I of the super factory at Butibori Industrial Park will have a planned capacity of 5 GW for solar cells and 3 GW for modules, all based on TOPCon technology. Avaada said the cells produced here by Avaada Electro Pvt. Ltd will support the company’s existing Dadri module plant.
It expects the project to create more than 5,000 new jobs in a range of functions. To support skill development, especially for operators and technicians, it will partner with local Industrial Training Institutes (ITI). At least 60% of the workforce will comprise women.
Additionally, the production of ancillary units such as glass, aluminum frames, junction boxes, and other components will also lead to the creation of close to 1,000 jobs. The foundation stone for this fab was laid by Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Brookfield-backed Avaada is one of the winners of the Government of India’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme tranche II as it won INR 9.6 billion financing support for 3 GW wafer to module manufacturing plans (see India Allocates 39.6 GW PV Under PLI Tranche-II).
Avaada Founder and Chairman Vineet Mittal recently told local media at the sidelines of another event that the company plans to invest INR 2.5 lakh crore in CapEx by 2031 to become a sand-to-module company. It currently touts a solar PV manufacturing capacity of 1.5 GW and expects to reach 3 GW by 2026, and eventually 10 GW of integrated capacity by 2030. In terms of renewable energy generation capacity, its objective is to grow to 11 GW by 2026, and 30 GW by 2030, up from 5 GW operational now.
Recently, the company entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan government to build a 10 GW solar power plant, among other investments worth INR 1 trillion (see Rajasthan Attracting Trillions In Renewable Energy Investments).
.png?w=50&fm=png){kind=logo}