ALMM List-I vs List-II Decoded — What Each Rule Actually Requires
Two different ALMM lists, two different components, two different deadlines. A short, plain reference to which rule applies to your project — and which does not.
India runs two separate ALMM (Approved List of Models & Manufacturers) lists, and conflating them is the most common way a buyer or EPC gets caught out. List-I covers the finished solar module — it has existed since 2021 and currently lists roughly 193 GW of module manufacturing capacity. List-II is newer: introduced by MNRE in 2025, it covers the solar cell inside the module — a much smaller base, around 31 GW of listed capacity — because India has built far more module-assembly capacity than cell-manufacturing capacity. List-II is MNRE’s attempt to close that gap by making domestic cell sourcing, not just domestic assembly, a compliance requirement.
The general effective date is 1 June 2026 — already past. From that date, List-I modules must be built with List-II-approved cells for most projects. Government and PSU-tendered solar projects get no exemption at all from this date.
Net-metering and open-access renewable projects got specific, separate relief: MNRE Office Memorandum No. 283/53/2026-GRID SOLAR, dated 18 July 2026, extended the window for these project types to 31 December 2026 — systems commissioned by that date can still use non-List-II (imported-cell) modules. What is tested is your commissioning date — DISCOM-inspected and grid-synced — not your order or installation date. From 1 January 2027, these projects too must comply with List-II.
This is a different rule from the DCR requirement behind the PM Surya Ghar residential subsidy, and the two get confused constantly. DCR (Domestic Content Requirement) for subsidised homes has always meant List-I compliance — cell and module both domestic — and that requirement hasn’t moved. List-II is a newer, additional layer that mainly bites on commercial, industrial, net-metering, open-access, and government-tendered projects. For the practical checklist on verifying a specific module’s DCR/List-I status before you sign, see our DCR vs Non-DCR guide; for the full mechanics of the December 2026 commissioning deadline, see our earlier brief on it.
We frame this as of August 2026, cross-checked against MNRE’s own office memoranda rather than a single installer summary — but list contents and deadlines are revised by MNRE from time to time. Confirm the current List-I and List-II entries for your specific module and cell on mnre.gov.in before you commit to a procurement plan.