ALMM: India’s approved list for solar modules, cells and wafers
Which projects must use listed modules and cells, the deadlines and exemptions that are live now, and what the 2028 wafer rule adds.
The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) is the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s register of solar equipment that may be used in most Indian solar projects. A module or cell that is not on the current list cannot go into a covered project, however good its datasheet. The rules have changed often, through office memorandums rather than one consolidated text, so this page sets out where things stand and links to the MNRE notices behind each date.
As on 15 October 2026: List-I (modules) applies to covered projects; List-II (cells) applies from 1 June 2026, with a window for net-metering and open-access projects commissioned by 31 December 2026; List-III (ingots and wafers) takes effect from 1 June 2028. Check mnre.gov.in for later memorandums before relying on any date here.
What ALMM is
MNRE issued the Approved Models and Manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic Modules (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order on 2 January 2019. It set up two lists: List-I for modules and List-II for cells. Enlistment is by model and by factory, after inspection, and the ministry can audit production, test samples and remove a manufacturer that does not comply.
The official reasons are quality, traceability and energy security over a 25-year asset life. In practice ALMM is also India’s main non-tariff tool for building a domestic supply chain, alongside basic customs duty and the production-linked incentive scheme. It sits next to, not instead of, BIS certification of the product itself.
Which projects it covers
The order applies to government and government-assisted projects, projects under central schemes, projects selling power to government entities, and projects bid out under section 63 of the Electricity Act. MNRE extended it to net-metering and open-access projects as well. Captive and purely private projects outside these categories have been treated differently over time, so read the latest memorandum for the specific case.
Rooftop plants claiming the PM Surya Ghar subsidy go further than ALMM: the modules must be made in India from Indian cells. The PM Surya Ghar guide covers that rule.
List-I: modules
The first List-I was published on 10 March 2021 and applied to bids whose last date of submission was on or after 10 April 2021. MNRE held the order in abeyance for 2023-24, then re-imposed it from 1 April 2024, with case-by-case relief for projects whose modules had reached site by 31 March 2024.
The list has grown fast. The September 2026 revision took enlisted module capacity to about 228.5 GW, according to Energetica India’s tally of the MNRE list. That is nameplate capacity on the list, not annual output, and it counts module assembly only.
List-II: cells
MNRE amended the order on 9 December 2024 to bring in List-II for cells, with 1 June 2026 as the effective date. The first List-II was published on 31 July 2025, which fixed the cut-off for tendered projects at 31 August 2025, a month later. From the effective date, a covered project needs List-I modules made with List-II cells. The 12th revision of List-II is dated 8 October 2026; Renewables Now put enlisted cell capacity at about 37.8 GW after it, far below module capacity.
That gap is why the deadline has been fought over. On 25 May 2026 MNRE refused a blanket extension but offered case-by-case relief, through a NISE portal, for projects that had modules on site or had taken “effective steps” before 1 June 2026. On 18 July 2026 it replaced that with a simpler window for net-metering and open-access projects. On 4 August 2026 it set out the full position:
| Project type (as on 15 Oct 2026) | List-II cells required? |
|---|---|
| Tendered, last bid date on or before 9 Dec 2024 | No |
| Tendered, last bid date 9 Dec 2024 to 28 Jul 2025 | As the tender documents say |
| Tendered, last bid date 28 Jul 2025 to 31 Aug 2025 | No |
| Tendered, last bid date after 31 Aug 2025 | Yes |
| Net-metering or open access, commissioned by 31 Dec 2026 | No (List-I modules still required) |
| Net-metering or open access, commissioned from 1 Jan 2027 | Yes |
| Government-building rooftop not awarded by bidding, commissioned by 31 Dec 2026 | No |
The net-metering window needs no application on the NISE portal, and MNRE has said it applies whether the project started before or after 18 July 2026. It is a commissioning deadline: a plant that slips into January 2027 loses it.
List-III: ingots and wafers from June 2028
On 17 March 2026 MNRE amended the order again to add List-III for ingots and wafers, effective 1 June 2028. From that date all covered projects, including net-metering and open-access ones, must use listed wafers. The first List-III will be issued only once at least three wafer makers that are not under common ownership have 15 GW a year between them, and a wafer maker must have matching ingot capacity to be enlisted. Section 63 bids submitted more than seven days after the first List-III is published must specify compliant wafers. Reuters put India’s ingot and wafer capacity at about 2 GW when the rule was announced.
What it means for buyers and developers
- Price. Domestic cells cost more than imported ones, so List-II compliance raises module prices for covered projects. Bid tariffs after August 2025 should already carry that cost.
- Paperwork. Keep the ALMM revision, model number, factory address and cell source for every consignment. DISCOMs and nodal agencies check at inspection.
- Timing. For net-metering and open-access projects, the date that matters is commissioning, not order or delivery. Plan around 31 December 2026.
- Supplier claims. “ALMM approved” on a quote is not proof. The model and the plant must appear in the latest MNRE PDF, and from 2027 the cells must be List-II too.
Questions people ask
What does ALMM stand for?
Approved List of Models and Manufacturers. It comes from MNRE’s order of 2 January 2019 on solar PV modules. Only the models and factories on the list can be used in the projects the order covers.
What is the difference between ALMM List-I and List-II?
List-I covers solar PV modules and has applied since 2021. List-II covers solar PV cells; the first list was published on 31 July 2025 and it applies from 1 June 2026, with the exemptions described on this page. A List-III for ingots and wafers takes effect from 1 June 2028.
Do net-metering and open-access projects need List-II cells?
As on 15 October 2026, net-metering and open-access projects commissioned by 31 December 2026 are exempt from List-II under MNRE’s memorandum of 18 July 2026, without any application. They must still use List-I modules. Projects commissioned from 1 January 2027 need both.
Which tendered projects are exempt from List-II?
Under the 4 August 2026 clarification: bids with a last submission date up to 9 December 2024 are exempt; bids between 9 December 2024 and 28 July 2025 follow whatever their tender documents say; bids from 28 July to 31 August 2025 are exempt; bids after 31 August 2025 must use List-II cells.
Does ALMM apply to my home rooftop system?
A subsidised rooftop plant under PM Surya Ghar has its own, stricter rule: modules made in India from cells made in India. A non-subsidised net-metered rooftop plant falls under the net-metering provisions above. Ask the installer for the ALMM model numbers and keep the papers.
How do I check whether a module or cell is on the list?
MNRE publishes each revision of List-I and List-II as a PDF on mnre.gov.in, listing manufacturer, plant address, model and enlisted capacity. Match the model number and the factory on your invoice to the latest revision, not to a brochure.
Sources
Dates and conditions are from MNRE’s ALMM Order of 2 January 2019 and its memorandums of 10 March 2021, 9 February 2024, 9 December 2024, 28 July 2025, 25 May 2026, 18 July 2026 and 4 August 2026, and from the PIB release of 18 March 2026 on wafers. Capacity totals are from Energetica India (September 2026) and Renewables Now (13 October 2026), which track the MNRE lists.
- MNRE: ALMM amendment for solar PV cells (9 December 2024)
- MNRE: List-II window for net-metering and open access (18 July 2026)
- MNRE: 12th revision of List-II (8 October 2026)
- MNRE: ALMM amendment for wafers (17 March 2026)
- PIB: ALMM extended to ingots and wafers
- NISE ALMM page
Related reporting is on the solar, policy and markets pages. If a date here disagrees with a later MNRE notice, the notice wins. Corrections: [email protected].