India's clean energy ministry is developing a production-linked incentive programme to boost domestic polysilicon manufacturing, a move aimed at reducing the country's complete dependence on Chinese imports for this critical solar component.
India is moving to establish a new incentive scheme targeting polysilicon production, according to remarks made by Santosh Kumar Sarangi, secretary of the country's clean energy ministry, at an industry event in New Delhi. The initiative represents an expansion of India's efforts to develop a comprehensive domestic solar supply chain, moving beyond previous support for panel and cell manufacturing.
Polysilicon serves as a foundational material for solar photovoltaic panels, and India currently imports all of its polysilicon requirements from China. The proposed scheme could support more than 10 gigawatts of production capacity, though officials have not yet disclosed the financial allocation. This move aligns with India's broader strategy to reduce import dependency and build an integrated solar manufacturing ecosystem spanning multiple production stages.
India has already made substantial progress in solar manufacturing infrastructure, with more than 200 gigawatts of panel manufacturing capacity and over 32 gigawatts of cell capacity operational. An additional 100 gigawatts of cell capacity is expected to commence operations within approximately one year. The country is also targeting at least 80 gigawatts of solar ingot and wafer capacity by June 2028, according to Sarangi.
The polysilicon initiative supports India's renewable energy goals, including a target of 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. Officials note that polysilicon has applications beyond solar energy, including semiconductor manufacturing, which could expand the economic benefits of the investment. The scheme represents India's continued push to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity in clean energy sectors currently dominated by Chinese producers.
