British International Investment invests $100 mn for 10% stake in ReNew’s solar module manufacturing business | Company Business News

New Delhi: British International Investment (BII) has invested $100 million in the solar module and cell manufacturing subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed ReNew Energy Global Plc.

The UK government entity will acquire a 10% stake in ReNew Photovoltaics Ltd, valuing the subsidiary at $1 billion, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The investment will be deployed towards adding 4 gigawatts of solar module and cell manufacturing capacity. ReNew has 6.4 GW of module capacity and 2.5 GW of cell capacity. The cumulative capacity of ReNew will be about 13 GW following the capacity addition.

BII recently sold its stake in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund-backed Ayana Renewable Power Pvt Ltd to ONGC NTPC Green Private Ltd in a ₹6,600 crore equity deal. Ayana manages a 4.1 GW renewable energy portfolio across Indian states and delivers solar, wind, hybrid, storage and round-the-clock renewable solutions.

ReNew said in a statement on 6 May that this is BII’s first investment in solar manufacturing in India.

“This partnership underscores our commitment to delivering high quality, top-tier products,” said Sumant Sinha, founder and chairman of ReNew. “Venturing into manufacturing was a strategic decision aimed at securing our supply chain, particularly as India advances its objective of indigenising the solar supply chain… our goal was to partner with a like-minded, long-term partner in the manufacturing sector.”

Sally Taylor, minister counsellor for climate, science and tech at the British High Commission, said the investment in ReNew’s subsidiary will diversify the supply of panels and build the strong partnership between the UK and India on clean energy.

“The UK Government is pressing ahead with our own clean energy transition, where the private sector is playing a key role, and we are keen to work with India and other countries showing domestic and international leadership on tackling climate change,” Taylor said.

Expanding cell output

Shilpa Kumar, MD and head of India at BII noted that enhancing India’s capacity in solar manufacturing will not only boost clean energy generation but also reduce the country’s dependency on imports, promote sustainable industrialisation and create jobs. 

“It underscores BII’s unwavering commitment to making investments that drive sustainable development and climate resilience in India,” BII’s India head said.

Established in 2021, ReNew Photovoltaics operates a 6.4 GW solar PV module facility in Jaipur and a 2.5 GW solar cell facility in Dholera, Gujarat. BII’s investment will be primarily utilised to construct a 4 GW cell facility in Dholera. The expansion is expected to create over 2,000 jobs, the company said in the statement.

ReNew Photovoltaics’ customers include state-run NTPC and Shakti Pumps.

In an interview to Mint in September 2024, Sinha said ReNew Energy Global is looking at monetising its solar components manufacturing business and may approach private equity firms to raise funds.