Premier Energies has commissioned its 7GW N-type TOPCon G12R solar cell manufacturing plant in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (AP), bringing its total solar cell production capacity to 10.6GW.
The new plant, which cost $343.7m (Rs32.93bn) to develop, occupies 101 acres and is described as India’s largest solar cell manufacturing facility. It is located in Naidupeta town.
Premier Energies has begun trial runs at the site following completion of construction on schedule and within budget.
The Naidupeta facility is designed to produce approximately 88,000 solar cells per hour using digital systems and AI to enable predictive performance analysis and precise process control.
Fully automated logistics and packaging have also been implemented to increase consistency and efficiency during operations.
Premier Energies managing director Chiranjeev Saluja said: “Commissioning India’s largest solar cell manufacturing facility on time and within budget is an important execution milestone for Premier Energies.
“The timing of this 7GW capacity addition is therefore significant: as the line stabilises and ramps up, it gives us the scale to serve that demand with greater supply reliability and operating efficiency.
“Together with our planned backward integration into ingots and wafers, this strengthens our strategy of building a fully integrated and globally competitive solar manufacturing platform while supporting India’s clean energy transition.”
According to Premier Energies, the new facility will enhance its ability to supply high-efficiency solar products to both domestic and international customers.
The plant is described as future-ready, with potential for future upgrades including TOPCon+ technologies such as poly-finger metallisation and advanced edge-isolation processes.
The plant aims to achieve an average solar cell efficiency of around 25.8% after the stabilisation and ramp-up phase.
In addition to production capabilities, Premier Energies reports that the site includes a Zero Liquid Discharge system, developed to maximise water recycling and reuse as part of its approach to sustainable manufacturing.
Earlier this year, Premier Energies began trial production at its 5.6GW solar module manufacturing facility in another South Indian state, Telangana.
