Longi Green, a Chinese solar equipment and component manufacturer, plans to set up cell and module manufacturing units of 500 MW (each) in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

The company is in talks with both the state and the union government to ascertain the available incentives for manufacturers who are setting up large manufacturing units in India.

Mercom’s source at Longi Green confirmed its expansion plans in India. “We are in talks with the local and the central government to know if we can avail the incentives that fall under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) and the Andhra Pradesh State Electronic Policy,” the source said.

When asked about the time-frame for the project, the source added, “Construction is expected to begin soon. It will take up to a year to complete and by 2019, we expect to have the manufacturing lines up and running.”

According to Mercom Research, Trina, one of the largest module suppliers to India, recently stalled its plans of setting up a module manufacturing unit in India. This would subsequently make Longi Green the first Chinese solar equipment manufacturer to set up its units in India.

Longi Green’s expansion plan is in line with the growing demand for module supplies in India. The government of India is also realizing the importance of having a robust domestic manufacturing capability to facilitate its ambitious solar installation targets.

Mercom had reported that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is working towards giving impetus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project ‘Make in India’ by issuing an Expression of Interest (EOI) that encourages the establishment of domestic manufacturing facilities worth 20GW in the near future.

Image credit: By Bluebird Solar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Correction: Changed title says Longi confirms