India, Sept. 1 -- India is preparing a new production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for polysilicon, the high-purity silicon used to make solar cells. It is the part of the solar supply chain that India still buys almost entirely from abroad, mostly from China, and closing that gap has become a priority as the country pushes towards its aim of 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil power by 2030.

The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said last month that the government was aiming for at least 30 GW of domestic polysilicon capacity by 2030, an addition that could draw about Rs.25,000 crore in investment.

A single gigawatt of polysilicon capacity, along with metallurgical-grade silicon, costs about Rs.8...