Lokesh Woos Investments in Clean Energy, Pharma, Data Centres

Vijayawada:Andhra Pradesh has invited investments from industrial groups in Gujarat in clean energy, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, data centres, solar modules and infrastructure during a series of meetings by education and IT minister N. Lokesh in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Lokesh met Torrent Group chairman Samir Mehta, director Shaan Mehta and whole-time director Jigish Mehta and sought expansion of the group’s API and advanced-intermediate manufacturing capabilities in the state’s pharma clusters.

He also invited Torrent to set up solar, wind and hybrid renewable energy projects, besides pumped-storage, green hydrogen and other clean-energy projects.

Samir Mehta said Torrent was expanding its manufacturing capacity for high-potency products and developing 3.96gw of renewable energy and 3gw of pumped-hydro storage capacity while exploring green hydrogen and other clean-energy projects. The group is targeting 10gw of renewable capacity by 2030 and would examine the state’s proposals.

In a meeting with Welspun World India Group CEO Nitin Jain, Lokesh sought a global capability centre in Visakhapatnam and an industrial park in Kakinada comprising textiles, logistics, DI pipe manufacturing, pipe coating and green ammonia units.

Jain said Welspun already operates a 100-mw solar project in Kurnool and Kadapa and supplies pipes for the Kakinada-Srikakulam gas pipeline and Reliance KG-D6.

Lokesh invited Gokul Agro Resources chairman and MD Kanubhai J. Thakkar to establish palm oil and soybean oil refineries in Nellore as an expansion of its existing operations. Thakkar said the company’s 1,400-tonne-per-day edible oil refinery at Krishnapatnam began commercial operations in 2024 and that it was exploring expansion to serve southern markets.

The minister also urged Chiripal Group managing director Brij Mohan Chiripal to establish a greenfield tyre manufacturing project in Visakhapatnam.

Chiripal said the group exports textiles, packaging films, solar and chemical products to more than 52 countries and would examine the proposal.

Lokesh invited ST Telemedia to invest in data centres in Visakhapatnam, which he described as an emerging data-centre hub. ST Telemedia vice-president Gautam Jena said the company operates data centres with 400mw capacity across 10 major cities and has more than 1,000 customers, including Microsoft and Cisco.

He also sought a prefabricated construction centre from Epack Group in Visakhapatnam to support data-centre development. Epack chairman Bhajrang Bothra said the group already has manufacturing facilities in Sri City and prefabricated PEB and insulated sandwich-panel facilities at Mambattu, with its Phase-II facility commencing commercial production in April 2026.

Lokesh invited Astral Pipes to establish a manufacturing unit in Kakinada or Anakapalli, offering faster clearances and incentives. Astral vice-president Alakesh Panchal said the company has 13 plumbing plants across several states and would examine the proposal.

He also sought an Emcure Pharmaceuticals biosimilar plant at Nakkapalli and urged the company to explore API and fermentation-based bulk-drug manufacturing in the Nakkapalli bulk-drug park.

Emcure global president Deepak Gondaliya said the company was focusing on complex injectables and biosimilars and would consider the proposals.

Lokesh invited Vishakha Group managing director Jigish Bhash Doshi to set up a solar module manufacturing unit in AP and explore a flexible-packaging facility in Nellore, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam or Anakapalli.

Doshi said the group has packaging units in Gujarat and West Bengal and a 660-tonne-per-day solar glass plant at Mundra. He said the group was planning recyclable-packaging and film-line projects with technology partners.