MNRE Clarifies Applicability of ALMM List-II for Solar PV Cells

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Office Memorandum dated August 4, 2026

What happened

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (“MNRE”) issued an Office Memorandum dated August 4, 2026, clarifying the applicability of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (“ALMM”) List-II requirement for solar photovoltaic (“PV”) cells, following its earlier notification of July 18, 2026 and multiple representations received from stakeholders seeking clarity on transitional cases.

Background

The ALMM framework requires solar PV modules and, where applicable, solar PV cells used in specified categories of projects to comply with the relevant approved lists maintained by MNRE. A July 28, 2025 memorandum had amended the framework governing the applicability of the List-II cell-sourcing requirement for competitively bid projects, leaving questions on how the change applied to bids falling within the transitional period.

What the clarification provided

For competitively bid projects, MNRE clarified that where the bid was live as on July 28, 2025, projects for which the last date of bid submission was on or before August 31, 2025 remained exempt from the List-II cell requirement. Bids for which the last date of bid submission fell between December 9, 2024 and July 28, 2025 continued to be governed by the ALMM conditions specified in the original tender documents where those conditions specifically required the use of ALMM List-II solar PV cells. Accordingly, the July 28, 2025 memorandum did not automatically override or relax such pre-existing tender conditions.

Separately, net-metering and open-access renewable energy projects commissioned on or before December 31, 2026 were exempted from the ALMM List-II cell-sourcing requirement, irrespective of when the project was initiated. The exemption applied without requiring an application on the NISE Solar DCR Portal. ALMM List-I compliance for solar PV modules remained unaffected by this exemption.

Why it mattered

The clarification resolved a compliance ambiguity for developers and EPC contractors dealing with competitively bid projects falling within the transitional period, and provided a defined exemption window for eligible net-metering and open-access projects that might otherwise have faced difficulties in sourcing List-II compliant cells.

Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Office Memorandum, “ALMM List-II for solar PV cells: Clarification – reg.” dated August 4, 2026.

Last Updated on 8 September, 2026