VISAKHAPATNAM: The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Saturday to establish a Centre for Energy and Cyber Resilience in the State. The MoU was formalised in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during the 30th CII Partnership Summit held in Visakhapatnam.
Ministers Nara Lokesh and Gottipati Ravikumar, Frontier Technologies Managing Director Jeremy Jurgens, and Chief Secretary K Vijayanand were among the dignitaries who participated in the ceremony.
Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Naidu said that green energy has become a global priority and Andhra Pradesh aims to play a leading role in this transition.
He reiterated the government’s target of producing 160 GW of green energy and underlined the need to generate and supply electricity at the lowest possible cost.
He emphasised that the energy sector must be strengthened with robust cyber-security systems, especially as technologies like artificial intelligence are increasingly integrated into power distribution. He added that reducing distribution and transmission losses remains a key focus and noted that the state is encouraging decentralised power generation and accelerating the implementation of solar rooftop systems under the Prime Minister’s Suryaghar Yojana.
IT and Industries Minister Nara Lokesh recalled that the government had planned a 6-GW capacity data centre for Visakhapatnam, a project now taking shape, and stressed the importance of low-cost, high-quality electricity to support such facilities. He described the proposed Centre for Energy and Cyber Resilience as crucial for safeguarding the state’s power systems.
Jeremy Jurgens noted that the AI era has heightened the need for strong energy-security frameworks and commended Andhra Pradesh for its proactive steps. Energy Minister Gottipati Ravikumar added that the new centre will strengthen the security of the state’s expanding green energy infrastructure.
CM announces 6,000 acres for expansion of Sri City
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday announced that the State government will allocate 6,000 acres of land to Sri City to develop it into an international industrial hub. He made the announcement while participating as the chief guest on the concluding day of the 30th CII Partnership Summit held at Andhra University Engineering College Grounds in Visakhapatnam.
During the programme, the Chief Minister virtually inaugurated five new units in Sri City and laid the foundation stone for three projects of the Raymond Group. He also took part in the signing of MoUs with several companies proposing to establish their facilities in Sri City.
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh attracted investments worth Rs 13 lakh crore over the two days of the summit and Rs 22 lakh crore in the last 18 months. He stated that companies from 50 countries are expected to operate from Sri City, generating employment for an estimated 1.5 lakh people. “The government is also working on developing an airstrip near the industrial zone to support its growth,” he added.
“For the first time in the country, Andhra Pradesh has introduced the opening of escrow accounts and the provision of sovereign guarantees to industries investing in the State,” the Chief Minister remarked. He said Sri City would emerge as a industrial hub by 2028.
Highlighting industrial growth in Rayalaseema, Naidu stated the region is progressing with projects such as the Kia Motors plant and upcoming clusters in defence, aerospace, and space technology. He noted that Raymond Group has proposed setting up an auto components manufacturing unit near the Kia plant, investing Rs 1,201 crore in three facilities, expected to create employment for 6,500 people.
Raymond Group CEO Goutam Maini thanked the State government for its support.