Australia keen on setting up battery units in Andhra Pradesh

He said they mooted a proposal to introduce a direct flight from Perth to India, which will facilitate more investments and tourism both in Western Australia and India.
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Western Australia (WA) is planning to open its second office -- Invest and Trade Western Australia -- in Chennai to expand its operations in South India. Speaking to The New Indian Express on the sidelines of Western Australia conference here on Saturday, Roger Cook, Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade, Tourism, Commerce and Science, said Western Australia’s first trade and investment office was set up in Mumbai about 25 years ago. Since then, Western Australia and India have had a thriving relationship.

He said they mooted a proposal to introduce a direct flight from Perth to India, which will facilitate more investments and tourism both in Western Australia and India. Almost one lakh students from India are studying higher education in Western Australia.

They urged the Australian government to liberalise the visa regime to attract more students. Australia imports mostly agricultural products from India. Mining is the mainstay of the Australian economy, he said and added that they produce 900 million tonnes of iron ore every year. Besides, every element used in lithium batteries is mined only in Western Australia. “We will explore the options to set up battery manufacturing units in India, particularly in AP,” he said.

‘We want to give boost to opportunities in trade’

It will be cheaper for Indian manufacturers to access elements such as manganese, cobalt and copper from Western Australia. He said they have a tie-up with Andhra Pradesh in this regard. A sister State agreement was signed by Andhra Pradesh and Western Australia in December 2016. Saturday’s conference will take the ties between Western Australia and Andhra Pradesh to the next level, Roger Cook said. He said this was the biggest ever trade and investment mission outside Western Australia shores. It has 100 business leaders representing 73 organisations and companies. They want to send a strong message to India, particularly Andhra Pradesh, that they want to give a boost to opportunities in trade and partnership, he said.

He said they are exploring economic opportunities for investments in IT, mining and mining services, agriculture and fisheries, energy, aviation, education and tourism. He said like Western Australia, Andhra Pradesh is a strong mining and agricultural State. Eastern Naval Command in Vizag is also an important partner in their defence ties.

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