Talks Still On, Says Odisha Minister Amid JSW Plans To Shift Rs 40K Cr EV Project To Maha

Bhubaneswar: Amid reports that Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group is set to move its planned Rs 40,000-crore electric vehicle (EV) and battery project from Odisha to Maharashtra, Industries Minister Sampad Swain on Tuesday said that the company is yet to take a final decision in this regard.

“Talks are still on with JSW. Nothing has been finalised over relocation. Investors make decisions based on their own considerations, and delays can occur due to various reasons. The JSW Group has also faced delays in starting their electric vehicle (EV) project,” the minister said.

Odisha Bytes was the first to report about this probable relocation on August 23, barely six months of signing an MoU with the Odisha government for setting up an Integrated Electric Vehicles (EV) and EV Battery Manufacturing Project at Cuttack and Paradip.

It had proposed to set up an EV and EV battery manufacturing unit at Naraj in Cuttack with an investment of Rs 25,000 crore and an EV components manufacturing complex at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district with an investment of Rs 15,000 crore. The planned manufacturing operations included electric vehicles, a 50 GWh battery plant, electric powertrains, a lithium refinery, and various related production units.

The conglomerate is now looking at Aurangabad and Nagpur in Maharashtra for its EV and related projects, according to reports.

The move is being seen as a blow for the ruling BJP after the company signed an agreement in February with the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal government, which was voted out in the Assembly elections in June.