en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced the immediate revocation of the temporary relaxation measures under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar projects, rendering the office memorandum issued on March 29, 2024, null and void. The Ministry stated that genuine pending exemption requests submitted within a reasonable timeframe will still be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
The revoked March 29, 2024 memorandum had provided an exemption window for certain delayed projects: projects whose solar photovoltaic modules had arrived at the project site before March 31, 2024, but whose commissioning was delayed due to reasons beyond the developer's control, were exempted from using ALMM-approved solar modules. MNRE believes that since more than two years have passed since the issuance of that clarification, the temporary arrangement is no longer applicable and has therefore been withdrawn, effectively closing the "grandfathering" channel applicable to specific projects.
The latest office memorandum was issued on July 30, 2026. MNRE also emphasized that this move does not introduce new ALMM rules but rather restores the original regulatory framework governing solar module procurement for government-supported projects. Under current regulations, only solar module models and manufacturers listed in the ALMM (Modules) are eligible for use in government projects, government-assisted projects, projects under government schemes and programs, open access and net metering projects, and projects established under Section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003, for supplying power to government entities. The term "government" encompasses central and state governments, central and state public sector undertakings, and autonomous bodies under central and state governments.
Reviewing the earlier policy trajectory, MNRE issued an office memorandum on March 10, 2023, deferring the ALMM order for fiscal year 2023-24 and permitting projects commissioned before March 31, 2024, to procure solar photovoltaic modules outside the ALMM framework. Subsequently, the March 29, 2024 memorandum clarified that ALMM requirements would take effect from April 1, 2024, while stipulating that projects whose modules had arrived at the site but failed to commission on schedule could be considered for individual exemption. With the revocation of that memorandum, the exemption window is now officially closed.
To mitigate implementation difficulties arising from the policy adjustment, MNRE has provided limited relief to renewable energy project developers whose projects have not yet been commissioned and who intend to seek exemption under the revoked March 29, 2024 order: such requests, if submitted within a reasonable period, will be reviewed by the Ministry on a case-by-case basis, but this provision is intended solely to address practical implementation difficulties and should not be construed as a blanket exemption. This move aligns with the direction of the ALMM 2 regime currently being implemented in phases, and by fiscal year 2029, India may become a 100% DCR (Domestic Content Requirement) market.
