One of the largest investments witnessed so far in the solar manufacturing space in India
Sukhbir Singh Awla, Co-Founder & Director of SAEL Industries Ltd, recently received a Letter of Comfort in this regard from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
The project, with an integrated 5 GW (Giga Watt) solar cell manufacturing unit and solar module manufacturing line, is slated to commence construction this year
It started its journey in Punjab as a private limited agro company way back in 1999, setting up its first rice mill in the state. Sukhbir Agro Energy Limited later reconstituted itself into a public limited entity, expanding into energy production with the setting up biomass power plants in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
The fast emerging renewable and green energy company, SAEL is now set to make one of the largest investments witnessed so far in the solar manufacturing space in India.
Through its subsidiary SAEL Solar P6, SAEL plans to invest approximately Rs 8200 crore into setting up an integrated solar manufacturing facility in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, under the jurisdiction of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
The upcoming facility in Greater Noida will house a 5 GW solar cell manufacturing unit and an equal capacity solar module manufacturing line. Post operationalization of this project, SAEL’s total solar manufacturing capacity will increase to 8.5 GW.
The company already has operational solar module assembly lines with a combined capacity of 3.3 GW (3300 MW) annually in Rajasthan and Punjab, which is set to increase to 3.6 GW.
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The plant will produce TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) solar cells, recognized globally for their efficiency standards in solar cell technology. These cells will be assembled into solar panels at the in-house Module Manufacturing Line.
The company revealed that Sukhbir Singh Awla, Co-Founder & Director of SAEL Industries Ltd, recently received a Letter of Comfort in this regard from UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The project is slated to commence construction this year.
The ambitious project is part of SAEL’s backward integration strategy to support its expanding solar IPP (Independent Power Producer) business and the domestic solar value chain. The company has a total portfolio of 6.7+ GW of Solar IPP assets. This includes operational and under-construction projects across India.
Yogi Adityanath said, “Uttar Pradesh is charting a bold and aggressive path towards renewable energy, setting an ambitious target of generating green energy. Projects like the Rs 8,000 crore-plus undertaken by SAEL are vital to achieving this. This is the future, and Uttar Pradesh is ready to lead”.
According to Sukhbir Singh Awla “This facility will be a major leap for scaling our manufacturing capabilities and reinforcing our contribution to the future of solar manufacturing in India. Setting up this integrated facility in Uttar Pradesh allows us to bring technology and manufacturing close to home while contributing actively to India’s clean energy transition.
“It aligns with the state’s solar policy and national missions like Viksit Bharat @2047 and Atmanirbhar Bharat and enables us to contribute towards strengthening the domestic supply chain, reducing reliance on solar equipment imports,” he emphasised.
The project also aligns with the Indian government’s Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) policy.
A Reuters report mentions that India currently has 80 GW of module manufacturing capacity but only about 15 GW of cell capacity, with most modules relying on Chinese imports.
It said the move aligns with India’s push to localise solar manufacturing. From June 2026, only domestically made solar cells from approved manufacturers will be allowed in government projects.
The Reuters report further shares that SAEL operates assets capable of generating more than 6.7 GW of solar power, including operational and constructional projects, and aims to drive that to 10 GW in three years. The company has already raised more than $2.4 billion in equity and debt and has issued a $305-million green bond in 2024.
It quotes Laxit Awla, CEO of SAEL Industries, as informing that “By 2030, tentatively, we are looking at a power generation capacity of around 18 to 20GW as an IPP (independent power producer)”.
SAEL’s revenue from its biomass and IPP business nearly doubled to Rs 687 crore in fiscal 2025 from fiscal 2023. The company aims to grow its revenue from these businesses to Rs 3,094 crore by fiscal year 2027, the Reuters report further said.
