Tata Power to build India’s largest Rs 6,675 cr 10 GW solar ingot and wafer plant in Nellore

Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL) will set up a 10 GW ingot and wafer manufacturing facility in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, with an investment of Rs 6,675 crore , marking the largest such solar manufacturing project announced in India so far. The project has been approved by the State Investment Promotion Board , chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu , and will come up at the IFFCO Kisan Special Economic Zone in SPSR Nellore district. The Andhra Pradesh government has earmarked 200 acres for the project, including 120 acres for the first phase and 80 acres for future expansion .

Ingots and wafers are the core raw materials used to make solar cells and panels. An ingot is a solid block of highly purified silicon, while wafers are thin slices cut from these ingots. These wafers are later converted into solar cells and assembled into panels that generate electricity from sunlight. At present, India depends heavily on imports for these components. By manufacturing them domestically, the Nellore facility is expected to strengthen the country’s solar supply chain, reduce import dependence, and support faster deployment of solar power plants.

The proposed 10 GW capacity is significant as it is larger than the combined ingot and wafer manufacturing capacity currently operating or announced in the rest of the country , according to industry estimates. This makes the Nellore facility a critical addition to India’s upstream solar manufacturing ecosystem.

Nellore was chosen for the project due to its suitability for advanced manufacturing. Solar and semiconductor-grade silicon processing requires large volumes of clean water , reliable power, and specialised infrastructure. The district offers ready industrial land, assured water availability, port connectivity, and access to green power. At the policy level, Andhra Pradesh’s Integrated Clean Energy Policy aims to attract end-to-end renewable energy manufacturing, offering faster approvals and plug-and-play infrastructure. In line with this, TPREL will also set up a 200 MW captive green power plant to supply renewable electricity to the facility.

The project is expected to generate around 1,000 direct jobs once operational, with additional indirect employment during construction and through supporting industries such as logistics and services. Given the scale and complexity of ingot and wafer manufacturing, industry experts say it could take two to three years from the start of construction for the plant to become fully operational.

This will be Tata Power Renewable Energy’s first foray into ingot and wafer manufacturing and represents a major upstream expansion of the Tata Group’s solar footprint. Once operational, the Nellore plant is expected to play a key role in India’s clean energy transition and position Andhra Pradesh as a major hub for advanced solar manufacturing.