Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL) will be setting up a state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facility for lithium-ion batteries in Mahbubnagar district, Telangana. The company intends to invest over ₹9,500 crore over the next 10 years in the lithium cell gigafactory with an ultimate capacity up to 16 GWh and a battery pack assembly unit up to 5 GWh.
This was announced by Jayadev Galla, Chairman and MD, Amara Raja Batteries, in the presence of KT Rama Rao, State’s Minister for Industries, after signing a formal MoU here on Friday. “This strategic partnership with the Government of Telangana is a giant leap for Amara Raja and will bring in the impetus for innovations in sustainable technologies for the whole region, in addition to generating employment opportunities,’‘ Galla said.
Rao said: “Telangana has been a front-runner in adopting sustainability, and it is a proud moment for the State to welcome the country’s largest ever investment in the lithium-ion cell manufacturing sector.”
Advanced centre
Amara Raja Batteries had chosen Telangana to house the Amara Raja Giga Corridor, he said adding that the initial facilities would include a first-of-its kind advanced energy research and innovation centre in Hyderabad, dubbed the Amara Raja E-hub. The proposed facility will be equipped with advanced laboratories and testing infrastructure for material research, prototyping, product life cycle analysis and proof of concept demonstration. It would also cater to the development needs of the Amara Raja as well as to provide a range of facilities open to other players in the energy and mobility ecosystem.
ARBL envisions the e-hub to serve as a much-needed catalyst for multi-stakeholder collaboration and fostering entrepreneurship in these emerging sectors, in line with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision of the Government of India. In addition, it would be establishing a commercial scale pilot plant and the first giga scale cell production facility. Towards this, the company had last month announced the incorporation of a subsidiary named Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Amara Raja has been working on Li-ion cell chemistries specifically suited for Indian subcontinent conditions, and already supplies lithium battery packs and chargers to some two- and three-wheeler OEMs.