Tata to Build Rs. 130 Billion Electric Vehicle Battery Plant in Gujarat

Indian salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group has signed an agreement with the Gujarat government to set up a gigafactory for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, with an expected initial investment of around Rs. 130 billion rupees.

Tata Agaratas Energy Storage Solutions, a unit of the Tata Group, signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to set up an electric vehicle battery factory with a capacity of 20 gigawatt hours, creating direct and indirect employment opportunities for more than 13,000 people, according to a state government document posted on its website.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to make the world’s most populous country net-zero carbon by 2070. Still, India lags behind countries like China and the United States in adopting electric transportation.

The Gujarat government said the Tata plant will make Gujarat a leader in lithium battery manufacturing and the group will receive assistance in establishing a production ecosystem in the state. A Tata Group representative declined to comment.

Tata Group’s decision comes as its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover considers setting up a large electric vehicle battery factory in the UK. Bloomberg reported in May that Tata was preferring to build a factory in Britain rather than Spain after the British government offered a support package.

© 2023 Bloomberg

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