Reliance Industries (RIL) will invest Rs 65,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh to set up 500 compressed biogas plants (CBG) over the next five years. This is said to be the biggest investment by the company outside Gujarat under its clean energy initiative.

The plants, each involving an investment of Rs 130 crore, will be set up on wasteland and are expected to generate direct and indirect employment for 2,50,000 people in the state. The plan was finalised in Mumbai between Anant Ambani, who heads RIL’s clean energy initiative, and Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh, who leads the state Cabinet’s sub-committee on job creation. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is to be signed between RIL and the Andhra Pradesh industries department. 

The Andhra government has introduced incentives for biofuel projects under the state’s recently notified integrated clean energy policy. These include capital subsidy of 20 percent on fixed capital investment on CBG plants for five years, reimbursement of state goods and services tax (SGST) for five years.