India aims 30 GW polysilicon manufacturing capacity by 2030: MNRE Secretary

New Delhi, To push domestic development of solar components, the government is looking to add around 30 GW of polysilicon manufacturing capacity by 2030, which could attract an investment of Rs 25,000 crore, according to a top official.

An estimated investment of Rs 850 crore is needed to set up 1 GW of a polysilicon plant along with metallurgical-grade silicon, Secretary at the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, told reporters here on Friday.

The government is working on a dedicated scheme to push manufacturing of polysilicon -- a key component of solar manufacturing -- in the country, Sarangi said on the sidelines of the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Summit.


"To ensure India's energy security and ensure that India's manufacturing resilience is maintained, any capacity of 30 gigawatts and above should be good for the Indian context. So, we would look at at least 30 gigawatts of capacity addition by 2030," the official said in reply to a question about the estimated polysilicon capacity required by 2030.

The official also said that a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme was introduced to support production of polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules. However, very small capacity (of polysilicon) is likely to come as part of the initiative.

Without sharing any details, Sarangi said India requires a much larger capacity, and the government is working on a scheme which will support manufacturing of polysilicon.

Sarangi further said that the prices of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB) -- an alternative to lithium-ion batteries -- could fall as the demand grows. A lot of research is going on in this area, he said, adding, "In the vanadium flow batteries, again I mentioned that NTPC Green Energy Limited has placed an order for 100 megawatts, and there are domestic manufacturers who are working and ensuring supply of that capacity."

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are more durable and suitable for large, stationary projects as compared to lithium-ion batteries.