The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) is a regulatory framework administered by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) that determines which solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, cells, and wind turbines qualify for use in government-backed and regulated projects across India. It assures that panels installed on rooftops and across utility-scale fields match their specifications, originate from the factories that claim to have produced them, and possess the durability to endure a 25-year operational life.
The Regulatory Foundation
MNRE issued the formal basis for this system through the “Approved Models and Manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic Modules (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2019,” dated 2 January 2019, referred to as the ALMM Order. The Order established two primary lists: List-I for solar PV modules and List-II for solar PV cells. The framework constructs a traceable chain from production line to project site by compelling manufacturers to register on a model-by-model, factory-by-factory basis and submit to audits and type testing. The first ALMM List-I was published on 10 March 2021, initially recording around 8.2 GW of enlisted capacity. By August 2025, it had expanded to include over 100 manufacturers with a combined declared annual capacity exceeding 100 GW.
Where ALMM Applies and the Key Exemption
ALMM compliance is mandatory for government projects, government-assisted projects, projects under government schemes and programmes, and open access and net-metering projects. The definition of “Government” encompasses central and state governments, public sector enterprises at both levels, and central and state autonomous bodies. Projects set up to sell electricity to government entities under Section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003 also fall within its ambit. There is one carve-out: “behind-the-meter” solar plants used solely for captive consumption by a consumer or group of consumers are not required to comply with ALMM, either for modules or for cells.
How the Framework Has Evolved
In 2022, the scope of ALMM was extended to open access and net-metering installations. In early 2023, supply disruptions and COVID-era backlogs prompted MNRE to suspend ALMM enforceability for financial year 2023–24, exempting projects commissioned up to 31 March 2024. That suspension was lifted on 29 March 2024, reinstating mandatory compliance from 1 April 2024 without blanket exemptions.
The introduction of List-II for solar PV cells marks the most significant structural expansion. The first ALMM List-II was published on 31 July 2025 with nine manufacturers and a combined enlisted capacity exceeding 13 GW per year. An MNRE office memorandum dated 9 December 2024 declared that List-II compliance would become mandatory from 1 June 2026. Projects whose last date of bid submission fell on or before 9 December 2024 were exempted from List-II requirements regardless of their commissioning date. Projects bid after that date must comply, even if commissioned before June 2026. A further clarification in September 2025 confirmed that projects with a last bid submission date on or before 31 August 2025 are also exempt from List-II cell requirements, though they must still use modules drawn from List-I.
By the seventh revision of List-II, issued 30 April 2026, the list had grown to more than a dozen manufacturers across three cell technologies, P-Type Mono PERC, N-Type TOPCon, and HJT, with combined declared capacity above 30 GW annually. New entrants have included Waaree Energies, Reliance Industries, TP Solar, Tata Power Renewable Energy, and Fujiyama Power Systems. The geographic spread, concentrated initially in Telangana and Gujarat, has extended to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.
ALMM List-III Brings Wafers Into the Chain
MNRE has amended the ALMM Order to bring silicon wafers within the framework through a new List-III, with compliance required from 1 June 2028. The compliance chain will run across three tiers: wafers under List-III, cells under List-II, and modules under List-I. Module manufacturers will retain their List-I status only if the cells and wafers they use are themselves enlisted under ALMM. Non-compliance at any tier risks de-listing.
MNRE has specified that List-III will only be issued once at least three independently operating wafer manufacturing units exist, with no common ownership or control between them, and a combined annual manufacturing capacity of at least 15 GW. Eligible manufacturers must also possess matching ingot production capacity; standalone wafer slicing units without upstream ingot capability will not qualify. A cut-off date for List-III exemptions will be defined as seven days after the initial publication of ALMM List-III. Projects with bid submission deadlines on or before that date will be exempt from the wafer sourcing requirement regardless of when they are commissioned. Projects where either a power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed or bids submitted before the cut-off date will retain that exemption even if engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) or module supply tenders are issued later.
The amendment outlines differentiated timelines by project type. Net-metering and open access projects commissioned before 1 June 2028 are exempt from wafer requirements, though List-I and List-II compliance still applies. For government-owned captive projects, those commissioned before 1 June 2026 need only use ALMM-listed modules; those commissioned between June 2026 and June 2028 must comply with both modules and cells; full three-tier compliance applies from June 2028 onward. Thin film module manufacturers with integrated facilities already listed under List-I are treated as compliant with List-II and List-III requirements. MNRE has also clarified that Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) provisions under schemes such as PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, and the CPSU Scheme Phase-II remain unchanged by the wafer amendment.
The Wind Side Transitions from RLMM to ALMM
A parallel framework has existed for wind energy since 2018. The Revised List of Models and Manufacturers (RLMM) required wind turbine generator (WTG) manufacturers to submit type certificates, design evaluations, and manufacturing system certificates before their turbines could be used in eligible projects. In July 2025, MNRE renamed RLMM to ALMM (Wind) and expanded its scope to require that critical components, specifically blades, towers, generators, gearboxes, and special bearings, be sourced from a forthcoming ALMM (Wind Turbine Components) list, abbreviated as ALMM-WTC. Manufacturers must also establish local research and development centres. Eligibility for concessional customs duty on wind turbine equipment is tied to RLMM and ALMM (Wind) compliance.
Wind Certification Under the New SOP
Standard operating procedures for enlistment under ALMM (Wind) and ALMM-WTC were issued in October 2025, replacing the earlier RLMM procedures. The standard operating procedure (SOP) establishes a two-tier system. ALMM (Wind) covers certified turbine models approved for deployment. ALMM-WTC covers approved manufacturers of the five major components: blades, towers, generators, gearboxes, and special bearings. Each turbine’s type certificate must name approved vendors for all five components. Component manufacturers can be enlisted under ALMM-WTC only if their products form part of an approved turbine model and their facilities pass a physical inspection by a government-appointed technical team. Inspections are conducted under ISO/IEC 17020 standards and verify production capacity, quality systems, and testing facilities; the base inspection fee is Rs 1.5 lakh plus applicable taxes. The SOP also requires that turbine data control and research centres be located in India. New turbine models receive a temporary exemption from the requirement to source all components exclusively from the ALMM-WTC list, capped at 800 MW or two years from enlistment, whichever comes first. Prototype testing of new turbines in India is now compulsory.
Wind Bearing Exemptions
The July 2025 ALMM (Wind) directive required that special bearings, specifically main bearings, yaw bearings, and pitch bearings, be sourced domestically for wind projects. Domestic availability of these components proved limited, and manufacturers made representations to that effect. MNRE responded with a revised office memorandum dated 16 February 2026, introducing a staggered exemption framework. For projects where bidding was completed before 31 July 2025, main bearings are exempted from the domestic sourcing requirement. This exemption also applies to all projects bid or to be bid up to 31 July 2027, a two-year window subject to review based on how domestic supply develops. For wind projects scheduled for commissioning within 18 months of 31 July 2025 under captive, open access, commercial and industrial (C&I), or third-party sale arrangements, yaw and pitch bearings have been granted a one-year extension to 31 January 2028, and main bearings an exemption extending to 31 January 2029, again subject to review. All other provisions of the July 2025 office memorandum remain in force.
Intersecting Policy Instruments
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification is a prerequisite for ALMM registration; a manufacturer without BIS certification cannot be listed under either framework. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for high-efficiency solar PV modules, launched in two tranches in April 2021 and September 2022, has backed approximately 48 GW of domestic manufacturing capacity. On the import side, Basic Customs Duty (BCD) of 40% on modules and 25% on cells, in effect since April 2022, raises the cost of foreign equipment. Even if customs duty has been paid, non-ALMM-listed modules and cells cannot be used in utility-scale or government-backed projects. Goods and Services Tax (GST) on solar modules, cells, and WTGs was reduced from 12% to 5% effective 22 September 2025. Government schemes such as PM-KUSUM and the rooftop solar programme explicitly require ALMM-listed equipment in their guidelines and tender conditions. Bidders must specify the make and model of modules they intend to use, and only listed models are accepted.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
Non-compliance can take several forms: procuring or installing unlisted modules or WTGs, deploying unlisted models or an altered bill of materials from a listed manufacturer, submitting falsified documentation, mixing compliant and non-compliant components, or continuing to use equipment from a manufacturer that has been suspended or de-listed. Financial incentives and subsidies, including viability gap funding, are conditional on proof of ALMM-listed equipment, and non-compliant projects lose access to these. Under DCR conditions embedded in many MNRE schemes, violations can lead to criminal action, blacklisting for ten years, and forfeiture of bank guarantees. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) adds a further layer of penal exposure: misrepresenting the origin, certification, or ALMM status of solar modules or cells to obtain government project eligibility or subsidies can attract liability under Section 316, which covers cheating by deceit. Administrative consequences follow a standard escalation path: show-cause notice, blacklisting, contract termination, and financial recovery including clawback of disbursed subsidies, pursued in parallel with any penal action.
The Bottom Line
ALMM determines which manufacturers gain access to India’s publicly driven renewable energy market. Those that pass MNRE’s scrutiny are eligible; those that do not, whether domestic or foreign, are not. As the framework extends from modules to cells and wafers, and as the wind side builds out a parallel component-level approval system, the supply chain being shaped by ALMM becomes more integrated, more traceable, and more demanding with each revision.
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