Visakhapatnam, November 15, 2025
The curtains fell on the 30th Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, capping a whirlwind 48-hour extravaganza that saw Andhra Pradesh ink Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore—a staggering investment haul that underscores Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's audacious vision to catapult the state into a green energy powerhouse. With global titans like Tesla and Siemens anchoring deals in solar gigafactories and hydrogen hubs, the summit—attended by over 3,000 delegates from 50 nations—projected 20,000 direct jobs and positioned Vizag as India's "renewable Riviera," blending coastal allure with cutting-edge cleantech. Naidu, beaming amid the Bay of Bengal's salty breeze, hailed it as "not just signatures on paper, but seeds of a sustainable sunrise," while critics whisper of execution hurdles in a state still reeling from bifurcation blues.
The summit, themed "Building Bridges of Trust: Partnering for Progress," unfolded against the backdrop of Andhra University's sprawling grounds—transformed into a high-tech pavilion with drone-lit displays and VR tours of proposed wind farms. Naidu, the undisputed star, took the stage Friday for a 45-minute keynote, pitching Andhra as the "speed capital of India" with promises of single-window clearances in 48 hours and a Rs 10,000 crore green incentive kitty. "We're not chasing investments; we're choreographing them—from quantum computing in Amaravati to offshore wind in Kakinada," he declared, drawing applause from a who's-who of CEOs, including Tesla's Asia VP Raj Kapoor and Siemens Energy's India head, Dr. Anita Rao. The MoUs, formalized in a glittering ceremony Saturday, spanned renewables (Rs 90,000 crore), manufacturing (Rs 40,000 crore), and infra (Rs 20,000 crore), eclipsing last year's Rs 1.2 lakh crore benchmark and aligning with Naidu's "Swarna Andhra-2047" blueprint for $2.5 trillion GDP.
At the forefront: Tesla's Rs 25,000 crore commitment to a 10 GWh battery gigafactory in Sri City, near the port, eyeing EV exports to ASEAN and Europe. "Andhra's grid-ready incentives and skilled 5 lakh workforce make it a no-brainer," Kapoor told reporters, projecting 8,000 jobs in Phase 1 alone—many for women in assembly lines, per Naidu's gender quota push. Siemens followed with Rs 18,000 crore for a green hydrogen ecosystem in Visakhapatnam, including electrolyzer plants and ammonia storage, tying into the Centre's National Green Hydrogen Mission. "This isn't just energy; it's ecosystem—training 5,000 locals in H2 tech," Rao emphasized, nodding to the summit's skills pavilion where 200 apprentices signed on-site. Other heavy-hitters included ReNew Power's Rs 15,000 crore solar-wind hybrid in Anantapur (4,000 jobs) and Adani Green's Rs 12,000 crore floating solar on the Godavari reservoir, promising carbon credits to offset Andhra's 50 MT annual emissions.
Naidu's green gospel resonated, with 60% of MoUs (Rs 90,000 crore) in renewables—a leap from 40% in 2023's Vizag edition. "Andhra will deliver 160 GW to India's 500 GW non-fossil target—half from our coasts," he asserted, unveiling a "Vizag Green Corridor" masterplan: 50 GW offshore wind by 2030, backed by Rs 5,000 crore viability gap funding. The summit spotlighted sessions like "Hydrogen Highways: From Lab to Land," where EU envoys pledged Rs 10,000 crore in tech transfers, and "Quantum Leap for Startups," netting Rs 5,000 crore for 50 incubators. Ground zero buzzed with B2B match-ups: Over 500 bilateral meets sealed ancillary deals, from Bharat Electronics' drone tie-ups to ITC's agro-solar farms in Rayalaseema.
The economic ripple? A projected 20,000 direct jobs—10,000 in green manufacturing—plus 50,000 indirect, per CII estimates, injecting Rs 30,000 crore annually into Vizag's economy. "This is revival rocket fuel—post-bifurcation, we've lost 20% GDP; now, we're gaining 15% YoY," exulted Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath, pointing to a skills census that funneled 1 lakh youth into summit-linked training. Women-led ventures shone: 15% MoUs (Rs 22,500 crore) earmarked for SHE-Teams, including a Rs 2,000 crore EV charging network by Mahindra.
Skeptics, however, temper the triumph. YSRCP's V. Vijayasai Reddy slammed it as "MoU mirage"—citing a 70% implementation gap in Naidu's 2014-19 term—and flagged land acquisition rows in Sri City, where farmer protests simmer. Environmentalists like the Vizag Environment Protection Group warn of "greenwashing": Offshore wind risks to olive ridley turtles, per a 2024 CSE report. Naidu parried: "We've baked in ESIA (Environmental Social Impact Assessments) for every deal—sustainability isn't sidebar; it's scripture."
As delegates dispersed—many jetting via the summit's chartered greens—the CII Summit leaves Visakhapatnam not just inked, but ignited. Naidu, eyeing a December groundbreak for the Tesla plant, summed it: "Bridges built today bloom tomorrow." In Andhra's ambitious arc, Rs 1.5 lakh crore isn't arithmetic—it's alchemy, turning tidewater into tomorrow's power.
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