ANANTAPUR: Andhra Pradesh is aiming to emerge as the country’s leading renewable energy State, with the Suzlon wind power projects marking a new phase in its clean energy journey, Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh said on Tuesday.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone for Suzlon wind energy projects at Hulikeru in Kanekal mandal of Rayadurg constituency, Lokesh said the company had built a strong wind energy ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh over the past two decades. He recalled the vision of Suzlon founder late Tulsi Tanti, who championed renewable energy well before clean energy became a global priority.
Lokesh said Suzlon’s Anantapur facility had an annual manufacturing capacity of around 1,260 MW and provided direct employment to about 1,200 people, more than 70 per cent of them locals. The company had created over 2,000 green jobs across Andhra Pradesh, he added.
The projects being taken up now have a combined renewable energy capacity of 1,325 MW, involving an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore and creating more than 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. Suzlon already has around 1,600 MW of installed capacity in the State, while another 2,700 MW is under development and construction. Nearly 1,300 MW of new wind projects are also being developed in the Anantapur region.
Emphasising the need to combine wind and solar power with energy storage, Lokesh said the State was building a major data centre ecosystem with a proposed capacity of 6.5 GW. This, he said, could create demand for nearly 25 GW of renewable energy to power digital infrastructure.
The State has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity and is also working to develop green hydrogen, green ammonia and green data centres, he said.
The government is developing 22 industrial clusters across the State, focusing on sectors including energy, data centres, electronics, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, chemicals, fisheries, aquaculture and manufacturing.
As part of the AP government’s partnership with Suzlon, around 12,000 youngsters, including 25% women, are being trained for green energy jobs. Skill development centres at Uravakonda and Vijayawada are preparing engineers and technicians for the renewable energy sector, Lokesh said.
