KURNOOL: Declaring that Andhra Pradesh is uniquely positioned to emerge as the ‘Saudi Arabia of Clean Energy,’ Minister for HRD, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh on Thursday laid the foundation stone for Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited’s (TPREL) Rs 5,750-crore hybrid renewable energy project at Hosur near Pattikonda.
Highlighting the State’s strategic advantage with India’s second-longest coastline, abundant natural resources and deep-water ports, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh’s clean energy ambitions extend far beyond conventional electricity generation.
“As global geopolitics is increasingly shaped by energy security, our goal under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is to achieve complete energy self-sufficiency,” he said. “Very soon, ships carrying clean fuels and green molecules produced in Andhra Pradesh will sail to Europe, Japan, South Korea and other global markets.”
Inviting Tata Power to expand into green hydrogen and green ammonia, Lokesh referred to ongoing investments, including Greenko’s upcoming green molecules terminal, expected to begin commercial production by 2028, and NTPC’s green hydrogen project.
Reflecting on the State’s industrial turnaround, Lokesh said the NDA government had restored investor confidence after assuming office in June 2024. Alleging that the previous YSRCP government had stalled the sector by cancelling Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and delaying capacity additions, he said the NDA government had achieved a 400% year-on-year increase in renewable energy capacity additions through transparent policies and speedy execution.
He said leading global investment firms such as Brookfield, Blackstone, BlackRock, EQT and TPG, along with Indian renewable energy companies including ReNew, Premier Energies, ACME and Waaree, were expanding their presence in Andhra Pradesh.
The 800 MW hybrid project comprises a 400 MW solar plant spread across 2,700 acres at Pattikonda in Kurnool district and a 400 MW wind farm over 760 acres at Kanekallu in Anantapur district. Suzlon is executing the wind component under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model using turbines manufactured at its Anantapur facility.
The project also includes a 200 MW Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy (FDRE) allocation for NTPC integrated with a 25 MW/50 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). It has secured 800 MW Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) connectivity through the Anantapur-II and Kurnool-4 CTUIL substations.
Spread over 3,462 acres under the AP Integrated Clean Energy (ICE) Policy-2024, the project is expected to generate about 4,000 jobs during construction and provide steady lease income to more than 1,100 farming families for nearly three decades.
Recalling his family’s long association with the Tata Group, Lokesh said TCS was among the first companies to back Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s vision for Cyberabad. He said Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran had advised the government to prioritise speed in project execution, an approach reflected in the government’s “Simple, Speed and Stability” governance framework.
Lokesh also invited Tata Power to partner with the Andhra Pradesh government, IIT Tirupati and the University of New South Wales, Australia, to establish a Centre of Excellence for training engineers and researchers in solar manufacturing and advanced clean energy technologies.
He said industrialisation would help curb migration from the region and highlighted the government’s efforts to link Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) with industries. He also referred to the recently launched Learn-Earn-Graduate model university at Sri City.
Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, Industries Minister TG Bharath, Pattikonda MLA K.E. Shyam Kumar, Rayadurg MLA Kalava Srinivasulu, Kurnool Collector A. Siri, Tata Power CEO and MD Dr Praveer Sinha, Tata Power Renewables CEO Sanjay Banga and Suzlon Vice Chairman Girish Tanti were present.
