Indian Solar Wafer Policy 2028: ALMM Rules, Deadline, Impact

When Will ALMM List-III Become Mandatory? Key Rules and the June 2028 Deadline

The ALMM List-III effective date is 1 June 2028. From that date, all covered projects must use ALMM-listed wafers, including net-metering and open-access projects.

The India solar wafer policy 2028 does not, however, run on a single date. It runs on an effective date and a separate, floating cut-off date, and the two work differently for different project types.

Condition before the first list:

MNRE will issue the initial list only when at least three independent manufacturing units, not under common ownership or control, are operational with a combined capacity of 15 GW.
This is the core of the ALMM List-III eligibility criteria on the supply side. For individual manufacturers, the equivalent-ingot-capacity rule applies.

The seven-day cut-off:

The cut-off date falls seven days after the initial list is published. Bids submitted under the Section 63 route after that date must specify ALMM List-III-compliant wafers. Because the list has not yet been issued, the cut-off date is not yet known.

Grandfathered Project Status:

Trade reports of the order describe these transitional rules:

• Section 63 and other ALMM-covered projects whose last bid-submission date falls on or before the cut-off date remain subject to module and cell rules but not the wafer rule, regardless of commissioning date.
• The exemption is also reported to cover projects whose owner bid or signed a power purchase agreement before the cut-off, even if EPC or supply tenders are issued afterwards.
• Projects exempt from using ALMM-listed cells are automatically exempt from the wafer rule.
• Separate lists, List-I(a), List-I(b) and List-II(a), will hold modules and cells made with non-listed inputs for grandfathered projects.
• Integrated thin-film modules already in List-I are treated as compliant with the cell and wafer requirements.

Open-access and net-metering projects:

These follow a commissioning-date test rather than a bid-date test. Those commissioned before 1 June 2028 are exempt from the wafer requirement but must still meet module and cell norms.

Those commissioned on or after that date must comply with all three lists. A report from a credible source also states a phased rule for government-owned captive projects.

Those commissioned before 1 June 2026 need only listed modules. Those commissioned between 1 June 2026 and the effective dates need listed modules and cells. Later ones need all three.

From the effective date, List-I will include only modules made with listed cells and wafers, and non-compliant manufacturers risk delisting. The order does not dilute Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) provisions under existing schemes.

Not every project awarded before the deadline will be treated alike. The treatment depends on route (Section 63, net-metering, open access, captive), bid date, PPA date and commissioning date.

The solar wafer mandate of June 2028 and the solar wafer sourcing rules for India may also be refined through the procedural guidelines still to come.

Also read: PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana 2026: Rooftop Solar Subsidy, Installation & Online Application