TP Solar Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. (TPREL), today announced the commencement of commercial production from the 2GW solar cell line at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
A press release from the company said it was “the country’s largest single-location solar cell and module plant.” Commencement of cell production follows the commencement of module production earlier this year. (Cells are joined to form modules.)
The solar cell production, currently at 2 GW capacity will enhance Tata Power’s ability to meet the growing demand for high-quality, and domestically produced solar components, especially for large-scale capacity-addition projects, the release says.
The plant is expected to ramp up production with the remaining 2 GW capacity to be added over the next 4-6 weeks, reaching peak production within the next few months.
Having a total cell and module manufacturing capacity of 4.3 GW, the module production line at the Tirunelveli plant was commissioned in October 2023 and has produced 1250 MW of solar modules till date.
Tata Power has said it would invest ₹4,300 crore in this facility. In September 2023, it received $425 million funding commitment from the US International Development Finance Corporation.
The solar cells and modules produced at the Tamil Nadu facility will initially cater to the company’s ongoing projects, “further strengthening its supply chain,” the release says. “With an eye on future expansion, Tata Power also plans to explore opportunities for wider market distribution,” it says.
The modules from this plant are in the ‘approved list of models and manufacturers’ (ALMM) -- a legal requirement for anyone to sell modules in India. The company has said it is confident of its cells too making it to the ALMM list.