Jakson Plans INR 6,863 Crore Solar Plant in Andhra Pradesh

Jakson Group plans to invest INR 6,863 crore in an integrated solar manufacturing plant in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, with a proposed annual capacity of 10 GW of silicon ingots and wafers and 5 GW of solar cells.

The Noida-based company will establish the facility at Meedivemula village in Orvakal mandal. According to the report, the Andhra Pradesh State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB), Chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has recommended the allocation of 290 acres to Jakson Integrated Solar for the project.

The plant will be developed in three phases and is expected to generate employment for around 2,000 people. The first phase will have an annual capacity of 3 GW each for silicon ingots and wafers and solar cells. Commercial production from this phase is targeted to begin in May 2028, with the remaining capacity scheduled to come on stream by 2030.

The project will expand Jakson's presence further up the solar manufacturing value chain. The company currently operates a 1.2 GW solar module manufacturing facility in Greater Noida.

Andhra Pradesh has attracted investments in several segments of the solar manufacturing industry. According to SIPB documents cited in the report, approved projects excluding Jakson's proposal account for 58.74 GW of solar cell and module manufacturing capacity and 48 GW of silicon ingot and wafer capacity.

Andhra Pradesh Human Resource Development, IT and Electronics Minister Nara Lokesh said the state aimed to develop a solar manufacturing ecosystem supported by research, innovation and skilled workers.

ReNew Energy Global began work in April on a 6.5 GW ingot and wafer manufacturing plant at Rambilli in Anakapalli district. The project involves an investment of INR 4,200 crore and forms part of the company's INR 82,000 crore investment commitment to Andhra Pradesh.

The state has also approved Agastya Green Energy's proposed 12 GW ingot and wafer plant at Orvakal in Kurnool district, with an investment of INR 7,799.96 crore.

Indosol Solar is developing an integrated polysilicon-to-module manufacturing complex in Prakasam district, involving a planned investment of around INR 69,000 crore.

On September 21, Premier Energies commissioned a 7 GW N-type TOPCon solar cell manufacturing facility at Naidupeta, built at a cost of INR 3,293 crore. The facility increased the company's total solar cell manufacturing capacity to 10.6 GW. Premier Energies describes the new plant as India's largest solar cell manufacturing facility.

The state is also working to strengthen technical capabilities in solar manufacturing. In August, the Centre of Excellence for Energy Transition in Andhra Pradesh, IIT Tirupati and the University of New South Wales in Sydney agreed to establish a Centre of Excellence for Solar Manufacturing at IIT Tirupati. The Australian university will design courses covering solar cell manufacturing, ingot production and wafering.

Andhra Pradesh's Integrated Clean Energy Policy, 2024, set a target of developing 20 GW of solar manufacturing capacity across the value chain. The projects cited in the report indicate that the state's approved manufacturing pipeline has expanded considerably beyond that target.