Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and state-run power major National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited will be setting up a Gigawatt scale vertically integrated solar manufacturing unit in India.

The facility, first-of-its-kind facility in India, will manufacture key components for solar module production.

The facility will provide a big boost to the 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative of the government as it will reduce the import of the key components - poly-silicon and ingot/wafer - required in manufacturing of solar modules. These key components are mostly being imported at present.

In a regulatory filing on Wednesday (24 August), BEL said that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NHPC for setting up the facility.

"The MoU aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and NHPC to cooperate and collaborate in Conceptualization, Structuring, and Implementation of the Giga Watt Scale Vertically Integrated Solar Manufacturing Unit by optimum utilization of resources, available assets, infrastructure and knowledge base of both the organizations," BEL said.

It added that the MoU is a step in creating the required infrastructure on "economies of scale for indigenous manufacturing of poly silicon to solar modules to reduce dependency on imports under Make In India and Atmanirbhar Bharat exploiting the favourable policies of Govt, of India and other State Governments".

Solar panels manufactured from this facility will be deployed to set up rooftop and utility scale solar power plants to achieve the country's vision of meeting the renewable energy target of 500 GW by 2030, it said.

"This facility shall be first of its kind in India since currently India does not have any manufacturing facility for Poly-silicon and Ingot/Wafer manufacturing which are the key inputs/components for Solar Module manufacturing, currently most of them are being imported," the company said.

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