Reliance starts Jamnagar Gigafactory work
Reliance is preparing to begin work on its first green Gigafactory to produce materials for photovoltaic cells used in solar panels.
On November 6 (2023), the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) will hold a public hearing to clear the project at the Reliance Truck Parking Plaza at Padana village in Jamnagar. Reliance subsidiary Reliance New Solar Energy (RNSEL) plans to build a state-of-the-art, integrated, quartz-to-photovoltaic manufacturing factory at the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex in Jamnagar.
RNSEL will produce 100 tonnes/year of metallurgical grade silicon, five tonnes/year of silicon speciality gases and 90 tonnes/year of polysilicon, all used to make photovoltaic cells. According to a 477-page EIA prepared in September 2023: "The proposed project will take 18 to 24 months to complete from the date of environmental clearance; the total Capex is Rs17,500cr ($2.1bn), involving construction activities such as foundations and procurement along with machinery installation; environment protection and safety systems have also been considered."
Reliance will supply 18,000 litres/day of desalinated seawater and 650-MW power to the Gigafactory planned on 113 hectares at Navagam and Kanalus villages. "China is the primary producer of polysilicon, accounting for 79% of global output," adds the EIA report.
"India currently does not contribute to global output." India, with its focus on solar energy, was expected to consume about 15-20% of polysilicon produced globally by 2022, but these figures are evolving rapidly," continues the report.
India can currently claim just 3-GW of solar cell production capacity, around 10-GW of solar panel production capacity and about 5-GW of solar inverters (used to convert DC electricity to AC) production capacity. India has no production capacity for polysilicon wafers or ingots to manufacture photovoltaic cells.
Polysilicon is also used to make semiconductors. The term 'Gigafactory' was first used by billionaire Elon Musk's company Tesla to describe its Nevada facility manufacturing electric vehicles and their batteries.
But it has since been adopted by other companies to describe any factory producing green energy technology.