Hyderabad

Amara Raja Batteries Limited, one of India’s leading industrial and automotive battery majors, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Telangana to setup state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facilities for lithium-ion battery-making in Mahbubnagar district, Telangana. Over the next 10 years, the company intends to invest over Rs 9,500 crores, after necessary approvals. Jayadev Galla, Chairman & Managing Director, Amara Raja Batteries, made the announcement on December 2, 2022, in the presence of K T Rama Rao, Minister for Industries and Commerce, IT, E&C, and MA & UD and Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce and IT, E&C and other dignitaries from the industry.

As the latest in its pivot to becoming an ‘Energy & Mobility’ enterprise, Amara Raja Batteries has chosen the State of Telangana to house the Amara Raja Giga Corridor.  The initial facilities would include a first-of-its kind advanced energy research and innovation center in Hyderabad, dubbed the Amara Raja E-hub.  This facility will be equipped with advanced laboratories and testing infrastructure for material research, prototyping, product life cycle analysis and Proof of Concept demonstration. This will cater to the development needs of the Amara Raja as well as to provide a range of facilities open to other players in the energy and mobility ecosystem.  

Amara Raja envisions the E-hub to serve as a much-needed catalyst for multi-stakeholder collaboration and fostering entrepreneurship in these emerging sectors, in line with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision of the Government of India. In addition, as part of its journey towards Giga scale manufacturing of advanced cell technology products, Amara Raja would be establishing commercial scale pilot plant and the first giga scale cell production facility.

Towards this, the company had on November 3, 2022 announced the incorporation of a subsidiary named Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies Pvt Ltd. Amara Raja has been working on Li-ion cell chemistries specifically suited for Indian subcontinent conditions, and already supplies lithium battery packs and chargers to some 2 and 3-Wheeler OEMs. 

Jayadev Galla 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.” 

Vikramadithya Gourineni, Executive Director, New Energy Business, said, “This latest step is in line with the ‘Energy & Mobility’ roadmap that we laid out last year.  Our ambition is to develop a robust Indian ecosystem with R&D, incubation, testing, and manufacturing – a Giga Corridor for emerging technologies in energy and mobility.”

Congratulating the company on the announcements, 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."