The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has constituted an expert committee to examine applications from net metering and open access renewable energy projects seeking time extension for commissioning beyond May 31, 2026, under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List II mandate for solar cells.

The applications will be examined on a case-by-case basis.

The move follows MNRE’s earlier office memorandum, which specified eligibility conditions for such projects seeking a time extension for commissioning beyond May 31, 2026, while retaining exemption from the ALMM List II for solar cells.

According to the earlier memorandum, eligible projects must either have completed installation of solar modules but not yet commissioned them, or have taken effective steps toward grounding the project.

Developers must submit all claims and supporting information through a portal developed by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) by June 30, 2026. Physical applications will not be accepted.

The portal will be accessible through a link on NISE’s solar portal.

Expert Committee

The MNRE expert committee will be chaired by Sivakumar V Vepakomma, Director, Power System, Solar Energy Corporation of India. S. K. Dey, Executive Director, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency, and Jai Prakash, Deputy Director General, NISE, will serve as members.

Pratik Prasun, Deputy General Manager, Solar Energy Corporation of India, will be the member convenor.

The committee will examine applications in line with MNRE’s May 25 memorandum.

Field inspections may be carried out by the committee or any other agency, depending on operational requirements.

The final decision on cases examined by the committee will be taken by MNRE with the approval of the Secretary.

States to Decide

MNRE has also delegated decision-making for certain projects to States and Union Territories.

For projects with a solar component of 10 MW or less, the decision will be made by the senior-most Secretary in the Power, Energy, or Renewable Energy Department of the State or Union Territory where the project is located.

In States where renewable energy matters are handled by a department other than the Power or Energy Department, the authority will rest with the senior-most Secretary of that department.

However, projects located in multiple States will continue to be examined by MNRE’s expert committee and decided by MNRE.

The senior-most Secretary of the Power, Energy, or Renewable Energy Department of the States must constitute a four-member expert committee within five working days from the issuance of the memorandum.

The committee must be headed by an officer of Chief Engineer level or above. Other members must not be below the rank of Superintending Engineer. If Superintending Engineer-level officers are unavailable, Executive Engineer-level officers may be included.

States and Union Territories must share with NISE the name, designation, mobile number, and email address of the senior officer responsible for renewable energy matters. This will allow NISE to create portal login access for the officer.

The access will allow the State or Union Territory expert committee to view relevant applications and supporting documents and record decisions on the portal.

Approval and Rejection Process

If a project receives approval for a time extension, the developer will receive a unique ALMM List II Exemption Certificate generated through the portal.

The certificate will mention the project name, project location, issuing authority, validity of the certificate, and the date by which the project can be commissioned while retaining exemption from the ALMM List II for solar cells.

If an application is rejected, the developer will receive a portal-generated response with reasons for rejection.

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