Indian Manufacturer Expanding Capacity By 1.5 GW

• Premier Energies is expanding its installed solar PV manufacturing capacity to 2 GW
• The new capacity addition of 1.5 GW will produce solar cells and modules at a new facility in Hyderabad, Telangana
• Both multicrystalline and mono PERC cells manufactured here will use large wafer sizes of 182mm and 210mm

Premier Energies says it is building a new state-of-the-art production facility in Telangana state of India to produce 1.5 GW of solar cells and modules. Once online, it will expand the company's cumulative installed capacity to 2 GW, from the current 500 MW.

Previously known as Premier Solar Systems, the manufacturer said this new capacity will produce metal-catalysed chemical etching (MCCE) textured multicrystalline cells as well as mono PERC cells using 182mm and 210mm wafer sizes for a total investment of INR 4.83 billion ($66 million).

The greenfield plant is to be commissioned within the next 2 months at E-City, Hyderabad on 25-acre space. "With the expanded capacity, we aim to work towards India's commitment of addressing climate change," said company's Founder and Managing Director Chiranjeev Saluja. "With increased adoption of automation and robotics, our new factory will be at par with some of the leading manufacturing companies in Asia, Europe, and USA, producing world-class products."

Premier Energies is also an active EPC service provider for solar power plants claiming to own/operate more than 250 MW solar power capacity across India, monitored and maintained by an in-house O&M team. By 2023, it wants to be known among the top 5 solar manufacturing and EPC players in the country.

To meet its 450 GW of installed renewable energy capacity ambition targeted to be achieved by 2030, India wants to nurture its domestic manufacturing abilities. Solar PV is one among the list of 10 sectors that can avail of a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme under which domestic and global players will be incentivized to build large-scale solar PV manufacturing locally (see India PV News Snippets: PLI, SWSL, Kerala, Meghalaya).

In the recent annual budget for FY 2021-22, the government raised the customs duty on solar inverters to 20% and also said it will come out with a phased manufacturing plan for solar cells and panels in order to build up domestic capacity (see Solar power Figures Big In Indian Budget 2021-22).

Along with local enterprises, it is also foreign players that are eyeing this space as a report in a leading Indian business newspaper Mint claimed the government has received expressions of interest or letters of intent from 15 local and global manufacturers including First Solar and 1366 Technologies in the US who are interested in setting up solar cell and module production in India (see India PV News Snippets: Manufacturing, NVVN, Ayana, HCCB).