Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin laid the foundation stone for 28 industrial projects with a total investment of Rs 51,157 crore and inaugurated 19 additional projects with an investment of Rs 17,616 crore on Wednesday.
Among the 47 projects creating over 100,000 jobs was the foundation stone for a Rs 36,238 crore investment in a green hydrogen and green ammonia manufacturing unit in Tuticorin district by Sembcorp, which will be the first such unit for commercial production of hydrogen molecules in India.
The Singapore-headquartered Sembcorp will produce 2 lakh metric tonnes per annum of green ammonia for overseas shipment to Japan. On Tuesday, a deal was signed between Sembcorp Green Hydrogen Pte Ltd., Kyushu Electric Power Company, Sojitz Corporation, and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha in relation to cross-border green ammonia exports from India to Japan.
In January 2024, the state had signed 631 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 6.64 trillion with several companies as part of the third edition of the Global Investors’ Meet. “These investments will result in direct jobs for 1.4 million people and indirect jobs for 1.2 million people. Since we came to power in May 2021, our government has attracted investment pledges worth Rs 9.74 trillion and direct and indirect jobs for 3.1 million people,” Stalin said.
“I have a request to the businessmen present here. You should become industrial ambassadors of Tamil Nadu by encouraging more people to invest in the state. Our government is focusing on the development of women and all sectors,” he added. State industries minister TRB Rajaa said that Tamil Nadu is the first state to roll out a green hydrogen project in the country.
Another major investment was by Greenko, which is investing Rs 20,130 crore to employ 1,500 people and set up integrated closed-loop pump storage systems in three districts. For this, Mahesh Kohli of Greenko and V Vishnu, managing director and chief executive officer of the state’s investment promotion agency, Guidance Tamil Nadu, exchanged a memorandum of understanding.
The major projects inaugurated on the day include a Rs 2,600 crore unit by Motherson Electronic Components in Kancheepuram, a Rs 3,500 crore L&T Innovation Campus in Chennai, a Rs 2,850 crore unit by TVS Indeon (Lucas TVS) in Tiruvallur district, a Rs 2,000 crore industrial park by Jurojin Developers (House of Hiranandani) in Kancheepuram, and a Rs 1,411 crore investment by Sundaram Fasteners in Chengalpattu.
In addition to Sembcorp, another major project for which the foundation stone was laid was a Rs 3,400 crore project creating 1,140 jobs by Saint-Gobain. B Santhanam, chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain Asia Pacific and India Region, said that from a mere Rs 525 crore investment 20 years ago, Saint-Gobain has invested tenfold in Tamil Nadu, with 60 per cent of its overall investment in India being made in the state.
“Five factors bring investors to Tamil Nadu and make them stay here. They are the people, productivity, process, partnership, and performance. The government treats you as a partner in the state’s growth,” Santhanam added. Other major projects that advanced were a Rs 1,500 crore unit by Pragati Warehousing in Tiruvallur and a Rs 1,000 crore investment by Capgemini in Chengalpattu.
“Tamil Nadu was the pioneer in wind energy, and now it is set to be the pioneer in hydrogen as well. Our investment in the state reflects the deep relationship between India, Singapore, and Japan,” said Vipul Thuli, chief executive officer (South Asia), Hydrogen Business, Sembcorp Industries.
First Published: Aug 21 2024 | 6:07 PM IST
