Prologue: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has ushered in a new era for India’s wind energy sector with its notification on July 31, 2025, which rebrands the Revised List of Models and Manufacturers (RLMM) as the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (Wind), or ALMM (Wind). Beyond a simple name change, the notification represents a comprehensive policy overhaul designed to address critical issues of quality control, national security, and domestic industrial growth.
In the following article we explore the critical aspects of the amendment from mandating the use of specific, approved components to domestic data retention. MNRE through this policy is not only raising the bar for wind turbine quality and performance but also fortifying the nation’s energy infrastructure against evolving threats. This strategic shift signals a strong commitment to “Make in India,” providing a structured framework that will profoundly influence the supply chains, manufacturing practices, and overall competitiveness of every stakeholder, from project developers and manufacturers to component suppliers, operating in the country’s burgeoning wind power market.
On July 31, 2025, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) issued a comprehensive Office Memorandum (OM) titled “Amendment to ‘Procedure for inclusion/updating Wind Turbine Model in the Revised List of Models and Manufacturers of Wind Turbines (RLMM)’” (“Notification”). This Notification builds upon the current Revised List of Models and Manufacturers (RLMM) framework, established by MNRE vide notification dated November 1, 2018, aimed at ensuring quality and reliability of wind turbines in India. The RLMM, now renamed as the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) (Wind) (“ALMM (Wind)”), functions as a gatekeeper of wind turbine deployment standards in India. It sets minimum technical criteria, quality assurance, reliability, and compatibility with Indian grid and environmental conditions. The recent changes are crucial for stakeholders within the wind energy sector, including manufacturers, project developers, and component suppliers.
Key Amendments and New Provisions in the Notification
Expanded Details for Public Listing: MNRE has expanded the ambit of information to be published on its website for each approved manufacturer and model under Paragraph 4(g) of the Notification. In addition to existing disclosures such as the name, contact details, model specifications (hub height, rotor diameter, tower type, rated power), and quality certifications (Type Certificate, IS/ISO certificates), the public listing of manufacturers must now include the vendors or sources of critical components such as blades, towers, generators, gearboxes, and special bearings (main, pitch, and yaw). By increasing transparency around supply chains, MNRE aims to pre-empt any component-level quality concerns.
Strengthening Manufacturing Facility Compliance: To strengthen facility-level compliance and foster a dedicated roster of indigenous suppliers, the Notification’s Paragraph 4(h) requires that each turbine’s Type Certificate explicitly identify the assembly or manufacturing facilities for blades, towers, gearboxes, generators, and special bearings. MNRE will constitute a Technical Team charged with on-site inspections of these manufacturing facilities and will publish a separate list namely the “Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (Wind Turbine Components)” based on these inspections. Henceforth, only components sourced from the approved facilities on this new list will be eligible for use in ALMM (Wind)-approved turbines. The Notification will directly and significantly impact foreign turbine manufacturers who often rely on their existing supply chains outside India for the procurement of major components. Consequently, foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of wind turbine generators (WTG) will be encouraged to either (i) establish their own manufacturing facilities in India and get their own components approved under the ALMM (Wind Turbine Components); or (ii) source components from Indian manufacturers on the ALMM (Wind Turbine Components) list. Given that establishing in-house manufacturing facilities is arduous and capital-intensive, foreign WTG OEMs may face challenges related to technical compliance, supply chain, and cost issues over the short term. This would require aligning manufacturing process with the domestic component manufacturers, making it increasingly difficult to realign inventories as pure “import and assemble” models. The inclusion will give the “Make in India” process an impetus, as foreign WTG OEMs, will need to gradually establish manufacturing plants in India. Without local manufacturing and component sourcing, it would be difficult to compete in the market on the fronts of price as well as on delivery timelines. This will ensure that the entire supply chain for wind turbines including the minor equipment is now made in a more scientifically prudent manner and are technically efficient as per global manufacturing standards.
Cybersecurity and Data Sovereignty: To address growing cybersecurity risks inherent in digitally controlled wind assets, the Notification’s Paragraph 4(i) mandates that all wind-turbine operational data and control systems reside on data centres or servers in India. It prohibits the real-time transfer of operational data outside Indian territory, requires all operational commands for wind turbines to originate only from within India, and mandates that all approved manufacturers establish an R&D centre on Indian soil within one year of the Notification. These steps highlight the critical nature of wind turbines and their importance to national security as fundamental renewable energy-generating assets, given their interconnectedness to the national electricity grid. Offshore storage of operational data poses extremely high risks, including data manipulation and cyber-attacks. Data localisation ensures India’s strategic autonomy, non-dependence on foreign assets for its national security, and full control over its energy systems, which are important especially during times of geopolitical conflict or tension. These measures align wind energy regulation with India’s broader cybersecurity framework, safeguarding critical infrastructure from external threat or influence, which are similar to those for payment systems and telecom sectors also mandating the retention of all data generated domestically. These also align with global efforts in safeguarding critical infrastructure, like the European Union’s Directive on security of Network and Information Systems (NIS Directive—2016/1148), strengthened by the NIS2—2022/2555, which classify electricity generation (including wind farms) as “Sectors of High Critically”. Accordingly, wind farms must implement cybersecurity risk-management practices and imminently report security incidents involving these systems to the respective national Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs).
Exemptions during Transition Period: Considerate of under-development projects and new market entrants, MNRE has carved out transitional exemptions in Section 2 of the Notification. Projects whose bidding closed before July 31, 2025, may defer compliance with the new manufacturing-facility inspection requirement, provided they commission within three years. Wind projects under captive, open-access, commercial and industrial, or third-party sale modes are exempt from the component-sourcing stipulation if commissioned within 18 (eighteen) months of the Notification. Additionally, newly listed turbine manufacturers or models operating at a capacity limited to 800 MW get a two-year exemption, subject to the submission of quarterly progress reports through the new component sourcing portal. These reports must highlight their progress in compliance with the new Paragraph 4(h) of the Notification. Failure to submit the results may result in the delisting of the original model listed under the erstwhile notification.
These measures balance the need for continuity and commercial viability, especially for ongoing projects and for smaller manufacturers, showcasing a balanced approach to the effectiveness of the new regime.
The Notification also signals a broader framework for the control of imports for turbine manufacturing namely the Renewable Energy Equipment Import Monitoring System (REEIMS). The Notification states that all wind turbine manufacturers are required to mandatorily comply with REEIMS, as and when notified. This possibly hints at further control of data retention and manufacturing across the larger renewable energy sector.
Since its inception, RLMM has been a critical tool for uniformity, standardisation, and quality control, directly impacting procurement policies, incentive eligibility project financing, and sectoral regulatory approvals, for wind turbine models and manufacturers in India.
The Notification provides a critical shot in the arm to domestic manufacturing efforts, particularly with mandatory procurement of blades, towers, gearboxes, generators, and special bearing from the list of approved manufacturers. This will require both domestic and foreign WTG suppliers to either establish their manufacturing facilities in India for these components or, in the short-term, procure these from existing ALMM (Wind Turbine Components) compliant Indian manufacturers. The provision for inspection of the components manufacturing plants will ensure that the plants meet quality standards and are indeed operational manufacturing plants, not just shell companies for compliance.
By looking beyond component manufacturing, the Notification’s bold requirement to establish R&D centres within a year is a visionary step. It not only accelerates the growth of indigenous manufacturing but also plants the seeds for a thriving ecosystem of homegrown technology and intellectual property, thus ensuring long-term self-reliance and global competitiveness. The mandate for data localisation, though primarily a national security measure, will support domestic manufacturing and economic initiatives in the digital and IT infrastructure space. India’s impressive 150 per cent growth in wind capacity over the last decade is a testament to its evolving renewable energy landscape. In response, the MNRE has introduced regulatory measures through the Notification, which aim to enhance project safety and quality control while laying a stronger foundation for sustainable development. By mandating specific component-sourcing norms and establishing domestic R&D facilities, these policies drive a shift from mere turbine assembly to comprehensive local manufacturing of high-value components. Together, they represent a significant boost to the “Make in India” vision, reinforcing a self-reliant wind energy ecosystem of a new Bharat for the coming ages.
For further information, please contact:
Bhupendra Verma, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
bhupendra.verma@cyrilshroff.com
