Construction of Adani Enterprises anticipated 1,200 MW solar power equipment factory is expected to begin before the end of the year, the firms chief executive, solar manufacturing, told reporters in India today.
Samir Vora revealed that phase one of the fab, to be located in the state of Gujarat, is expected to be complete by March 2017, and thus construction is expected to begin in the next few months. The total cost of the project is expected to be Rs 2,000 crore ($429 million), with the second phase due to commence in April and expand the fabs capacity to 2 GW once operational by June 2017.
"Our plan is to set up the countrys largest vertically integrated manufacturing facility to support the solar power ecosystem of India and create an end-to-end solar power play from manufacturing to generation," Vora told reporters at a press conference in Mumbai.
To develop the fab Adani has set up Mundra Solar PV, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that will handle the investment and commissioning of the facility. This facility will vertically integrate all aspects of solar panel production on site, including polysilicon refining, ingots, wafers, cells, PV backsheets and panels, with a broader ecosystem involving extended supply chin for raw materials and consumables, Vora added.
The Adani exec also said that the company could explore the possibility of exporting 30% of its India-made solar components to the U.S. and Europe, should the demand arise.
The announcement from Adani comes a day after data from analyst firm Bridge to India found that Chinese module suppliers had cornered 75% of the Indian solar PV market, adding some 3.6 GW of new capacity in the past 12 months.
According to the report, eight out of the top ten module suppliers in India are now Chinese, against just four out of ten a year ago. Only First Solar U.S. and Indias own Waaree were able to join the Chinese firms in the top ten in terms of market share, while Trina Solar and Canadian Solar consolidated their position at the top of the table. Indias Vikram Solar grew its shipments but lost out in market share, said Bridge to India.
The National Solar Mission dictates that around 10-12% of the Indian solar market must be supplied with local content under the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) a figure broadly proportional to the share Indian suppliers currently have in their home market. However, the analysts added, the completion of Adanis 1.2 GW fab will see a notable uptick in domestic PV supply.
SECI outlines tenders for 200 MW solar+storage
Elsewhere, government-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a request for selection (RfS) for 200 MW of solar and storage capacity available under tenders in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Offered under the latest stage of the National Solar Mission Phase II, Batch IV, Tranche VI to be exact this latest round of solar PV capacity will invite bids for four, 50 MW solar PV projects at the Pavagada Solar Park in the state, with each plant supported by 2.5 MWh of storage capacity.
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