AP to Build India’s First 6 GW Solar Ingot-Wafer Manufacturing Plant

In a major boost to India’s solar energy ambitions, AP is set to establish India’s first integrated 6 gigawatt solar ingot and wafer manufacturing facility. The ₹3,990-crore project will be set up by ReNew Photovoltaics, a subsidiary of ReNew Energy Global PLC, in Rambilli, Anakapalli district.

CM Naidu gave the approval of investment for the greenfield unit at a recent meeting. According to government sources, the formal proposal will go to the Union Cabinet for approval next week. Once completed, the plant will produce both solar ingots and wafers, which are the basic building blocks of solar cells and modules. The facility is planned on 130-140 acres of land that has already been identified. Construction of the plant is likely to be finished by March 2026, with commercial production expected to start in January 2028.

The factory will need 95 MW of power and 10 million litres of water per day. An important fact to note is that there is no input-wafer manufacturing unit built in the country right now, hence this plant will significantly reduce India’s heavy dependence on Chinese imports for these critical components. When fully operational, the unit is expected to create around 2,000 direct jobs and many more indirect employment opportunities. It will also help India reach its target of 300 GW solar power capacity by 2030.

The project is supported by the Centre’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for solar wafers and comes at a time when India is pushing hard to build a complete domestic solar manufacturing ecosystem. The state government sees Anakapalli and nearby Visakhapatnam district as the new hub for solar and IT companies. With solar installed capacity growing from just 12 GW in 2016-17 to 98 GW in 2023-24, projects like this are crucial for making India self-reliant in clean energy technology and cutting reliance on imported solar raw materials. This facility marks a big step towards that goal.