India will enforce ALMM List-III for solar wafers and ingots from June 1, 2028, as announced by the MNRE, keeping the timeline unchanged from its proposal in September 2025
Manufacturers applying for wafer enlistment must also have equivalent ingot manufacturing capacity
The initial wafer list will be issued only when at least 3 independent manufacturing units, without common ownership, are operational with a combined capacity of at least 15 GW per year
India is set to enforce the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-III for solar wafers and ingots from June 1, 2028, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced. Manufacturers seeking enlistment in the wafers list will be required to have equivalent ingot manufacturing capacity to promote upstream integration for ingots.
The implementation, taking effect from June 1, 2028, remains unchanged from September 2025 when the ministry initially proposed it (see India’s MNRE Proposes ALMM List-III For Solar Wafers).
The ministry specifies that the initial list will only be issued when there are at least 3 independent manufacturing units with a combined capacity of 15 GW operational in the country to ensure a minimum domestic supply is available. Such units must not be under common ownership or control.
As per a new order issued by the ministry, it will be mandatory for all projects to use ALMM-listed wafers, including net-metering and open access facilities.
Once the new rules are in place, ALMM List-I will include only those modules that are manufactured in India using solar cells listed under ALMM List-II and wafers listed under ALMM List-III. It will apply to all net-metering and open access projects commissioned on or after the effective date (June 1, 2028).
There will be a 7-day cut-off window from the date of publication of the initial list for any exemptions. Failure to comply will result in delisting from ALMM List-I.
MNRE added that separate lists will be maintained for grandfathered projects to avoid disruption. These will include:
ALMM List-I(a) for solar PV modules using solar cells and wafers not enlisted in ALMМ;
ALMM List-I(b) for solar PV modules using solar cells enlisted in ALMM but wafers not enlisted in ALMM; and
ALMM List-II(a) for solar PV cells using wafers not enlisted in ALMМ.
Thin-film solar PV modules enlisted in ALMM List-I in integrated solar PV module manufacturing units will be considered to be in deemed compliance with the requirement of using wafers from ALMM List-III and solar cells from List-II.
Since the issuance of ALMM, India has expanded its domestic solar manufacturing from 8.2 GW in 2021 to 172 GW of solar modules under List-I, while adding 27 GW under List-II for solar cells within 7 months even though the list is set to come into force formally from June 1, 2026 (see India To Impose ALMM For Solar Cells From June 1, 2026).
The expansion of ALMM to include ingots and wafers aligns with the country’s commitment to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. The MNRE said this will reduce India’s dependence on imports, ensure quality and traceability of solar components, improve supply chain security, drive investment, and create skilled employment in upstream solar manufacturing.
At the recently concluded TaiyangNews Solar Technology Conference India 2026 (STC.I 2026), Group CTO of Waaree Group, Mahesh Murthy, called for advancing ALMM List-III implementation by a year, from June 2028 to June 2027 to strengthen domestic manufacturing standards (see STC.I 2026: Continuing India’s Solar PV Manufacturing Momentum).
