From Talks to Turnkey: Nara Lokesh Tells the Premier Energies Naidupeta Story

In run-up to CII Partnership Summit, IT, Electronics and Education Minister Nara Lokesh has taken up case studies that show Andhra Pradesh as the investment destination of choice.

On his X handle, Lokesh on Friday narrated the Premier Energies story as a testament to Andhra Pradesh’s speed, clarity, and industry-first facilitation--culminating in a ₹5,942 crore, fully integrated solar manufacturing complex at Naidupeta Industrial Park, Nellore.

Framed as a founder-style journey, Lokesh outlined how decisive execution, ports-led logistics, and proactive incentives enabled India’s second-largest integrated solar player to anchor its next growth chapter in Andhra Pradesh.

The journey began in October 2024 with focused discussions on building deep upstream capacity—cells, ingots, and wafers—to secure India’s solar value chain against global supply shocks.

Lokesh emphasized that the State treated the project as nation-building infrastructure, aligning clear milestones, inter-departmental coordination, and single-window facilitation around an aggressive commissioning timeline.

Speed the differentiator

APIIC fast-tracked 269 acres at Naidupeta—169.71 acres allotted and 100 acres in-principle—backed by trunk infrastructure and immediate port connectivity for heavy upstream logistics.

Land allotment by February 2025, barely months after talks began, signaled a no-red-tape, outcomes-first approach that gave the investor confidence to consolidate integrated capacities in one scalable location.

Lokesh underlined what this integration means: A 4 GW TOPCon solar cell facility co-located with a 5 GW silicon ingot and wafer plant at Nellore, ensuring backward integration, tighter process control, and lower cost-to-serve for both domestic and export markets.

He noted that this co-location move strengthens operational synergy while complementing the company’s existing module capacities, sharpening India’s competitiveness in next-gen PV technologies.

Jobs and capacity are only the start. The complex is projected to create about 3,500 direct jobs—with significant indirect employment as ancillaries deepen—while planning a scale-up pathway to 7 GW in phases to meet surging demand.

Lokesh framed this as green jobs for youth and a durable manufacturing ecosystem that compounds benefits across MSMEs, logistics, and services.

Explaining the choice of Naidupeta, Lokesh cited ports' proximity, reliable trunk infrastructure, and the State’s port-led industrial strategy that de-risks upstream solar manufacturing at scale.

He stressed that the site selection was not incidental but intentional—optimizing freight, energy, water, and talent availability—so the plant could move from land to line at record pace.

Positioning this win in a broader arc, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh is building a renewable manufacturing corridor that advances self-reliance and export capability in solar.

The Minister reiterated the State’s commitment to investor-centric reforms, competitive incentives, and last-mile facilitation—calling Premier Energies’ decision a vote of confidence in governance that delivers.

“Premier Energies’ story in Andhra Pradesh is about speed with substance,” Lokesh said. “From day one, we aligned on integration, logistics, and timelines—and executed. This is how Andhra Pradesh will lead on clean energy manufacturing: by turning intent into assets, fast.”

The project proponent will invest ₹5,942 crore in an integrated solar manufacturing complex at Naidupeta Industrial Park, Nellore.

It will have a 4 GW TOPCon solar cell line with a 5 GW silicon ingot and wafer plant, enabling full backward integration.

The project is expected to provide 3,500 direct jobs, with significant indirect jobs as the ecosystem scales.

Lokesh stated the talks began in Oct 2024; land allotted by Feb 2025 viz. 269 acres fast-tracked via APIIC.

There is a planned pathway to 7 GW in phases to meet market demand.