GAIL India, a government-owned pure fuel distribution firm, has introduced plans to enter the photo voltaic module manufacturing sector.

GAIL, previously Gasoline Authority of India Restricted, has expressed intentions to collaborate with different corporations in an try to have footprint within the rising photo voltaic module manufacturing market in India.

It plans to arrange a vertically built-in manufacturing facility masking manufacturing of polysilion, wafers, cells, and modules. Whereas GAIL has not the disclosed identify of the corporate it’s trying to companion. Although, given its full lack of publicity to renewable power tools manufacturing, it’s seemingly that it will desire to companion with an organization well-versed in solar energy applied sciences.

Like most different non-power-sector government-owned corporations, GAIL’s renewable power expertise is proscribed to proudly owning few hundred megawatts of photo voltaic and wind power tasks. Nevertheless, it has made some efforts over the previous few years to change that. In 2019, it had expressed curiosity to purchase 874 megawatts of wind power property from financially troubled IL&FS. GAIL had submitted a bid of Rs 48 billion for the operational property. Nevertheless, the corporate misplaced out to Orix Company, which already held 49% stake within the property.

In 2020, GAIL once more tried its fingers at investing in a renewable power firm. This time, a personal solar energy generator — Acme Photo voltaic Holdings. By no means confirmed, GAIL had reportedly thought of buying 49–74% stake in Acme. At the moment, Acme was one of many largest personal solar energy corporations, with a portfolio of 5.8 gigawatts, together with practically 3 gigawatts of operational property.

GAIL now joins an extended listing of home and overseas corporations trying to enter photo voltaic module manufacturing functionality. An import obligation of as much as 40%, rising demand, and capital incentives are driving new corporations to enter this sector.