New Delhi
Andhra Pradesh IT & Electronics Minister, Chairman of the Group of Ministers on Job Creation Nara Lokesh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the first Reliance Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plant at Kanigiri in Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh.
The project is being developed with a capital investment of Rs 139 crore and is the first in a series of 500 projects involving a total capital outlay of Rs 65,000 crore for AP, an official statement said.
The plant will be developed with innovative technology and utilise Napier grass that would be developed on barren and waste lands to produce bio-gas. The project will result in significant livelihood to the rural economy through payment of lease revenues to the farmers, and additionally, a fixed price for the grass grown by farmers.
Reliance will establish integrated CBG hubs across Andhra Pradesh. Around 500,000 acres of barren and waste lands in Prakasam, Anantapur, Chittoor, and Kadapa will be utilised for this purpose, the statement added.
Once all the plants are fully operational, they will produce 40 lakh tonnes of green, clean CBG and 1.1 million metric tonnes of organic fertiliser annually. This initiative is expected to create 250,000 jobs for rural youth.
Reliance Executive Director P M S Prasad, who was present during the ground-breaking event, said, “We see this project as more than energy production. It will uplift communities and boost local economies. And it will drive Andhra Pradesh’s clean energy ambitions forward. Additionally, the byproduct from these plants will yield one crore tonnes of Fermented Organic Manure to support farmers with a reduction of chemical fertilisers consumption. This will transform 15 lakh acres of barren land into fertile farmland, boosting farmer incomes.”
Nara Lokesh said, “ This is the first of many and we aim that Reliance would develop 500 such projects across Andhra Pradesh with a total investment of Rs. 65,000 crores. Reliance Industries has been one of AP’s largest and most trusted investors over the past few decades and we are excited to extend this partnership into the CBG space.”
