Reliance Industries to invest Rs 65 000 cr in AP for biogas plants

Amaravati, Nov 12 (PTI) The Andhra Pradesh government and Reliance Group on Tuesday signed a Rs 65,000 crore agreement to set up 500 compressed bio-gas (CBG) plants in the state over the next three years.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar, and senior officials from Reliance Group at the state secretariat in Amaravati.
"Very happy to sign an MoU with Reliance. This initiative will see the establishment of 500 CBG plants over the next three years," Naidu said in a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
According to the Chief Minister, Reliance will invest Rs 130 crore per plant, generating an estimated 2.5 lakh jobs.
Naidu emphasised that the project is expected to bring Rs 57,000 crore in revenue over 25 years through SGST collections, electricity duty, and other streams. He also announced that IAS officers would be appointed as escort officers to ensure smooth implementation of the mega project.
The initiative will not only boost revenue but also support environmental sustainability, with the state providing solid waste to the plants for gas production. The government also plans to build plants for converting municipal solid waste into gas.
Naidu highlighted Andhra Pradesh's Clean Energy Policy–2024, which aims to attract Rs 10 lakh crore in investments. The state is also considering establishing a clean energy university.
IT Minister Nara Lokesh, chairing the sub-cabinet committee for job creation, stated that this deal aligns with the government’s goal of generating 20 lakh jobs, with 2.5 lakh jobs stemming from this project.
"As part of Reliance’s nationwide target of 2,000 CBG plants, 500 plants in Andhra Pradesh is a promising start," Lokesh said.
Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar noted that the CBG plants would be spread across eight districts, with the first to be established in Kanigiri, Prakasam district.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)