Hemant Soren, Tesla Group CEO Discuss Giga Factory for Battery Storage in Jharkhand

On an official visit to Spain and Sweden, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has invited global investors to set up operations in the mineral-rich eastern Indian state. 

To this end, Soren held a significant meeting in Barcelona with Dusan Lichardus, CEO of Tesla Group A.S. (Czechoslovakia), to explore the possibility of setting up a gigafactory in Jharkhand focused on assembling commercial and industrial battery storage products.

The meeting was attended by top officials from the state government, including Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari and Industries Secretary Arava Rajkamal. The Jharkhand delegation will visit Barcelona and Madrid in Spain, and Gothenburg in Sweden, between April 19 and 27. According to an official statement released by the state government, the discussions focused on leveraging Jharkhand’s rich mineral resources and positioning the state as a key player in India’s growing EV and clean energy ecosystem.

“The Chief Minister highlighted the vast mineral reserves of Jharkhand and assured investors of a proactive, business-friendly administration committed to facilitating large-scale industrial projects,” the statement noted.

However, experts point out that Jharkhand must first strengthen its domestic EV ecosystem to attract such high-value investments. As per reports, while the state has rolled out an EV policy, its adoption and implementation remain in the early stages.

The proposed gigafactory, if realised, could create thousands of direct and indirect jobs while contributing to India’s energy transition goals. For now, Jharkhand’s focus remains on building confidence among international investors and accelerating domestic readiness for EV adoption.