Amara Raja to invest Rs 95bn in Amara Raja Giga Corridor, Telangana

Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Telangana government to invest more than INR 9,500 crores in the Amara Raja Giga Corridor in Mahbubnagar district.

The Amara Raja Giga Corridor will house research and manufacturing facilities for lithium-ion battery-making. These include a lithium cell gigafactory which will eventually have up to 16GWh of capacity and a battery pack assembly unit of up to 5GWh.

The investment, which will be subject to receipt of necessary approvals, will be made by the Indian battery company over the next 10 years.

Telangana Minister for IT E&C, MA&UD and Industries & Commerce Departments K T Rama Rao said: “Telangana has been a frontrunner in adopting sustainability, and it is a proud moment for the state to welcome the country’s largest ever investment in the lithium-ion cell manufacturing sector.

“Our aim is to become the most electrified state in India, and having a Gigafactory in Telangana further strengthens our aspiration to become an EV manufacturing hub and spearhead the EV revolution in India.”

Amara Raja Batteries to invest Rs 95bn in Amara Raja Giga Corridor, Telangana. Photo courtesy of Dean Simone from Pixabay.

Amara Raja Batteries will begin the project with an advanced energy research and innovation center in Hyderabad under the name Amara Raja E-hub. The Hyderabad facility will have advanced laboratories and testing infrastructure for research on materials, prototyping, product life cycle analysis, and demonstration of proof of concept.

Additionally, Amara Raja Batteries will be installing a commercial-scale pilot plant and the first giga scale cell production facility as part of its efforts towards manufacturing advanced cell technology products at a Giga scale.

Last month, Amara Raja Batteries incorporated a subsidiary called Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies Pvt. Ltd. The company is said to have been working on Li-ion cell chemistries that are especially appropriate for Indian subcontinent conditions.

Amara Raja Batteries is already claimed to be supplying lithium battery packs and chargers to certain two and three-wheeler OEMs.

Jayadev Galla – Amara Raja Batteries Chairman and Managing Director said: “This strategic partnership with the Government of Telangana is a giant leap for Amara Raja and will bring in the impetus for innovations in sustainable technologies for the whole region, in addition to generating employment opportunities. We have had a long association with the state and are excited to finally have the opportunity to establish an industrial base here.”