MNRE Clarifies ALMM List-II Rules for Government Rooftop Solar Projects (July 2026 Update)

Government departments and the EPCs working with them have been asking us the same question for weeks: does our rooftop project need ALMM List-II solar cells, or are we exempt? The rules kept shifting through 2025, tied to bidding dates, tender conditions and commissioning deadlines, and it was genuinely hard to tell which bucket a specific project fell into.

MNRE has now put the confusion to rest. In an Office Memorandum dated 6th July 2026, the Ministry has laid out a clear, dated framework for exactly which Government rooftop solar projects need ALMM List-II compliant solar cells and which ones are exempt. Here's what it says, broken down in plain terms.

A Quick Recap: What Is ALMM List-II

ALMM, or the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, already applies to solar PV modules under List-I. Every project that falls under ALMM has to source its modules from a List-I enlisted manufacturer.

List-II extends this same idea one level deeper, to the solar PV cells that go inside those modules. So a module can be List-I compliant, but the cells used to build that module also need to come from a manufacturer on List-II. You can check current enlisted manufacturers directly on the Ministry's ALMM page.

This cell-level requirement was first proposed back in December 2024 and was meant to kick in from 1st June 2026. Between then and now, MNRE issued a few amendments and FAQ clarifications that shifted certain cut-off dates, and that's where a lot of the confusion for Government projects came from.

For Government Rooftop Projects Awarded Through Bidding

If your project was tendered out, the exemption depends entirely on your last date of bid submission. MNRE has now specified four clear windows:

• Bid submitted on or before 9th December 2024: Exempt from ALMM List-II for solar cells.

• Bid submitted between 9th December 2024 and 28th July 2025: No automatic exemption. Whatever conditions were written into your specific tender document with respect to ALMM List-II will apply.

• Bid submitted between 28th July 2025 and 31st August 2025: Exempt from ALMM List-II for solar cells.

• Bid submitted after 31st August 2025: ALMM List-II is mandatory. Your solar PV cells must come from an enlisted manufacturer.

That second bucket is the one worth reading twice. If your tender's bid submission date falls in that window, don't assume you're automatically exempt just because a lot of other projects around that time were. Go back to your actual tender document and check what it says about ALMM for cells.

For Rooftop Projects Not Awarded Through Bidding (Net Metering / Open Access)

Many Government rooftop projects, especially smaller ones under net metering or open access, aren't tendered at all. For these, the exemption is based on your commissioning date instead of a bid date:

• Commissioned before 1st June 2026: Exempt from ALMM List-II for solar cells.

• Not commissioned before 1st June 2026, but eligible for a time-extension: You can still get an exemption, but only if your project qualifies under MNRE's separate time-extension provisions dated 25th May 2026, and only once the competent authority formally grants it. Exemption isn't automatic here, it has to be applied for and approved.

• Commissioned on or after 1st June 2026 without any granted exemption: ALMM List-II becomes mandatory.

In short, the deadline that matters for non-bid projects is when the plant is actually commissioned and handed over, not when the work started.

Why This Matters for EPCs and Government Buyers

If you're an EPC executing a Government rooftop tender, this OM gives you a checklist you can run against your own project files today:

• Pull your bid submission date and match it against the four bidding windows above.

• If you fall in the "governed by tender conditions" window, re-read your tender document's ALMM clause specifically.

• If it's a net-metering or open access project without bidding, check your actual commissioning date or your time-extension application status.

• Only after that should you finalize which cell manufacturer your module supplier is sourcing from.

For projects that do need ALMM List-II compliant cells, the module side of the equation still needs List-I compliance too. This is where working with a distributor who already deals only in List-I enlisted brands helps. We supply solar modules from established ALMM List-I enlisted manufacturers, so Government EPCs and integrators don't have to separately chase down compliance paperwork on the module side while they sort out the cell question.

Why MNRE Issued This Clarification

Point 7 of the OM is direct about the reason: MNRE had "received several requests" asking specifically how ALMM List-II applies to Government building rooftop projects, since the general framework didn't spell out this category clearly. This memorandum exists purely to remove that ambiguity, not to change the underlying policy.

It's also a good reminder that ALMM compliance for Government solar work is a moving target. The Ministry has revised List-II multiple times since it was first published in July 2025, and timelines around cut-off dates have shifted more than once. If you're bidding on Government rooftop tenders regularly, it's worth checking the MNRE notices page before every submission rather than relying on what applied to your last project.

The Bottom Line

This OM doesn't change any policy, it just tells you exactly which bucket your project falls into. Bid-based Government rooftop projects are sorted by bid submission date across four windows. Non-bid net-metering and open access projects are sorted by commissioning date, with a narrow path to exemption if you're within the approved time-extension process.

If you're planning a Government rooftop project and want to make sure your module and cell sourcing lines up with whichever category you fall under, talk to our team before you finalize your BOQ. We work with EPCs and Government departments across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR and every other state, and can confirm ALMM compliance on both the module and cell side before you commit to a supplier.

Conclusion
Need expert guidance?
Explore OSG Oriana India's Solar Manufacturing Solutions.
Contact our experts today.