India targets domestic production with 40% PV import duty, boost to manufacturing-linked incentive

From pv magazine India

India's Union Budget shows the government’s determination to promote domestic solar manufacturing, as it includes increased incentives and supportive policies, while discouraging imports by introducing customs duties on PV modules and solar cells from April.

The budget allocates an additional INR 19,500 crore ($2.6 billion) to the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, which offers funding support to bidders who commit to setting up fabs to produce everything from polysilicon to PV modules on Indian soil.

“The move is aimed to facilitate domestic manufacturing for the nation’s ambitious goal of 280GW of installed solar capacity by 2030,” said Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Tax deadline extension

The minister said newly incorporated manufacturers will have an extra year to be eligible for a 15% concessional tax rate before the start of production, with the deadline extended to the end of March 2024.

Solar manufacturers will benefit from the removal of anti-dumping and countervailing duties applied to foreign-made stainless steel, coated steel products, bars of alloy steel, and high-speed steel, with the government citing the high price of the metals on the international market.

Developers who used imported solar cells and modules will have to brace themselves for the imposition of a 40% basic customs duty on non-Indian solar modules, and a 25% rate on cells from April 1, in response to demands from Indian solar manufacturers.

Sitharaman also announced the launch of sovereign green bonds. The government will support the development of domestic capacity in green energy generation and clean mobility via “supportive policies, light-touch regulations, and facilitative actions,” said the minister. Government contributions will be made to these “sunrise opportunities,” said Sitharaman, without offering specifics.

To help foster e-mobility, the minister said energy storage projects would enjoy the benefits of being designated as infrastructure assets – including access to cheap finance. The government will also establish special mobility zones with zero fossil-fuel and battery swapping policies.

“Considering the constraint of space in urban areas for setting up charging stations at scale, a battery swapping policy will be brought out and interoperability standards will be formulated,” said Sitharaman. “The private sector will be encouraged to develop sustainable and innovative business models for “battery or energy as a service.” This will improve efficiency in the EV [electric vehicle] ecosystem.”

Range of reactions

Sumant Sinha, the chairman and chief executive of Nasdaq-listed Indian renewables developer ReNew Power, hailed the budget as climate-friendly.

“The budget lays the groundwork for India’s ambition to become a net-zero country by 2070,” he said. “The government has very firmly put [the] energy transition and clean energy at the heart of India’s economic growth and looks to address some of the most challenging aspects of this transition.”

The PLI tender to support the gigawatt-scale production of high-efficiency solar modules received bids for 54.5GW of solar equipment annual manufacturing capacity last year, with several bidders put on the waiting list. Today’s additional budget allocation will ensure more manufacturers are supported by the scheme.

Sinha said the revocation of anti-dumping duty on steel will reduce the cost of modules considerably and tie in well with incentives for locally incorporated manufacturing entities, which will be able to start manufacturing by March 31, 2024. The definition of grid storage as infrastructure assets will help mobility startups and independent power providers explore low-cost financing, he added.

The clean power executive also welcomed the budget announcement on sovereign green bonds, saying they will help mobilize finance for electricity distribution companies as well as for clean energy investors.

Vineet Mittal, chairman of fellow renewables developer Avaada Group, said the Union Budget will make it easier to invest in Indian clean power.

“The industry was eagerly waiting for these reforms to increase its competitiveness and take the growth of the sector to the next level and become self-reliant in renewable energy. The government has shown its commitment to become self-reliant in module manufacturing and battery storage,” he said.

Gyanesh Chaudhary, the vice chairman and managing director of module manufacturer Vikram Solar, welcomed the additional PLI allocation.

“The sovereign green bonds will boost green infrastructure development which will help in meeting India’s carbon emission reduction targets,” he added. “Green bonds will also enable an international yield curve for Indian corporates, leading to better pricing for bonds. The battery-swapping policy, with interoperability standards, will boost the electric vehicle ecosystem.”

Chaudhary told pv magazine that he appreciated the government’s focus on strengthening the domestic solar industry by notifying the basic customs duties on solar products.

“We are confident, with the implementation and roll-out of the measures announced in Budget 2022, we will move closer towards realizing the aatmanirbhar Bharat vision in the solar sector, and India’s energy security through green power,” he said.

Reasons to cheer

Bharat Bhut, co-founder and director of Gujarati PV manufacturer Goldi Solar said the budget has given indigenous manufacturers several “reasons to cheer.” He said that implementing a 40% basic customs duty on solar modules “will ensure the growth of the entire domestic manufacturing ecosystem.”

However, he said the application criteria applied to the PLI program should be changed so all sizes of business can participate.

“All of these measures will result in a more robust domestic module supply,” he concluded.

Popular content

Batteries set to drive rapid solar growth

25 December 2024 Chemical battery storage, led by lithium, has made such significant strides in terms of cost, capacity and technology that batteries are now positione...