Lokesh pitches Anantapur as apt spot for Tesla units

Vijayawada: Minister for HRD, IT and electronics Nara Lokesh pitched Anantapur as the perfect spot for Tesla’s EV and battery units.

Lokesh, who is currently on a visit to the US, visited Tesla headquarters in Austin.

He shared on X that he had an ‘inspiring discussion’ with CFO Vaibhav Taneja about transforming Andhra Pradesh into an EV manufacturing hub.

He said under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the state was targeting 72 GW of renewable energy by 2029. “Ready to lead the green energy revolution and eager to collaborate with global innovators like Tesla to make it happen,” he added.

The minister earlier met Ross Perot Jr., chairman of Perot Group and Hillwood Development in Dallas. The Perot Group, a global player in the real estate, technology, data centre and energy sectors, is recognised for developing the 27,000-acre master-planned community Alliance Texas.

He also said he met some industrialists at the residence of Dropbox co-founder Sujay Jaswa in San Francisco. The minister will participate in the ITServe Alliance Synergy Conference to be held in Las Vegas on October 29 and unveil the statue of former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao in Atlanta, USA on October 31.

The minister thanked Gannavaram MLA Yarlagadda Venkata Rao, TDP volunteers and fans for their warm welcome at the Austin Airport. Earlier, Lokesh said in a post on X that construction and developmental works by the government and private sectors in and around the capital Amaravati, worth USD 7.5 billion (Rs 63,000 crore) will start soon. Lokesh, who is touring the US, appealed to industrialists to invest in the state, which has a favourable environment in all aspects.

“I explained that various construction and development works will be started in the vicinity of the capital Amaravati with USD 3 billion in the government sector and USD 4.5 billion dollars in the private sector,” he said in a social media post on Sunday night.

He further said new greenfield seaports are coming up at Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam, Kakinada and Moolapet areas of the state. He also said the upcoming Visakhapatnam International Airport at Bhogapuram is set to boost large-scale economic activities there.

The work on the airport will be completed in the next 18 months. The minister said an AI (artificial intelligence) university will be set up in Amaravati which will cater to the needs of new firms working in the sector.