Indian Renewables developer Urja Global is investing the equivalent of US$28 million to build a combined electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Urja’s has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) to build the facility in one of three shortlisted cities— Anantapur, Nellore, and Chittoor.
The APEDB said the plant will produce “high technology lithium-ion Batteries and EVs for the electric mobility ecosystem”.
Urja and its subsidiaries already manufacture products that include e-rickshaw batteries and automotive energy storage systems.
APEDB’s chief executive officer J Krishna Kishore said the state is an “emerging auto hub”. “One of the critical components of the e-mobility value chain is batteries and it is strategically important for Andhra Pradesh to compete in the global market.”
The new plant will create “250 direct and more than 1,000 indirect skilled sustainable jobs in the state”, according to the APEDB.
Earlier this year, the APEDB reportedly signed an MoU with Tecchren Batteries to establish a separate lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in the state.
India also recently inaugurated its first grid-scale battery-based energy storage system in Rohini, Delhi.
