Mumbai, India – Reliance Industries has unveiled ambitious plans to drastically scale up its battery energy storage system (BESS) and fully integrated solar manufacturing capabilities. The announcement, made by Director Anant Ambani at the company's 49th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 19, signals a major push towards bolstering India's domestic renewable energy infrastructure and reducing its dependence on foreign imports.
Reliance's Strategic Expansion
Reliance aims to establish an annual battery cell manufacturing capacity of 120 GWh, positioning it as one of India's largest facilities. Concurrently, the company is developing a 20 GW per annum fully integrated solar manufacturing capacity. This encompasses the entire value chain, from polysilicon and ingots to wafers, cells, modules, and glass production.
This comprehensive approach by Reliance is critical for India's energy security, as the country currently faces a significant gap in its solar manufacturing ecosystem. While India boasts a solar module manufacturing capacity exceeding 200 GW annually, its domestic solar cell capacity stands at a mere 27 GW, with the majority of cells being imported, primarily from China.
Addressing India's Import Reliance
The core weakness in India's solar supply chain lies upstream. The nation imports nearly all foundational materials for solar cells: 98% of wafers and 100% of polysilicon. Currently, India possesses only 2 GW of ingot and wafer capacity and no polysilicon manufacturing capabilities. This heavy reliance on imports exposes India to supply chain vulnerabilities and cost fluctuations, despite its rapid growth in solar installations over the past decade.
Expert Perspective on Energy Security
Vinay Thadani, Director & CEO of GREW Solar, emphasized the urgency of this domestic manufacturing drive. “India’s renewable energy sector still has a significant level of import dependence, particularly in solar cells and the critical upstream segment, especially wafers, ingots, and polysilicon, remain the next major focus area for the industry,” Thadani stated. He added that “Reducing import dependence will be critical for ensuring long term energy security, supply chain stability, and cost competitiveness as India moves towards its ambitious clean energy targets.”
Reliance's investment in integrated solar manufacturing and battery storage is poised to be a transformative step, not only for the company but for India's broader renewable energy ambitions, paving the way for greater self-reliance and stability in its clean energy transition.