The JSW Steel plant in Rayalaseema will begin production within the next two years creating creating local jobs and driving industrial growth, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said.
Speaking after formally commencing the construction works of the plant in Sunnapurallapalli Village in Kadapa on Friday, Naidu said the NDA Government in the State persuaded the company to invest in the region with full support and the Government was committed to ensuring Rayalaseema’s iron ore is processed within the region itself.
Andhra Pradesh had already attracted ₹11 lakh crore worth of investments in the Rayalaseema region which were expected to generate employment for around nine lakh people.
Referring to the development of Anantapur, Naidu said the arrival of the Kia automobile manufacturing plant had transformed the district’s economic landscape and demonstrated the impact of large-scale industrial investments.
Rayalaseema would emerge as a major industrial hub with investments in space, aerospace, defence, drones, electronics, automobiles, renewable energy and food processing. He said JSW had also expressed interest in investing in the proposed Space City and Drone City planned in Tirupati district, he added.
The event was attended by JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal, Union Minister Srinivasa Varma, Ministers Savitha and Gottipati Ravi Kumar, MLA Adinarayana Reddy and senior officials
The integrated steel plant is being developed by JSW in two phases over 1,100 acres with a total investment of ₹16,350 crore. Phase I will involve an investment of ₹4,500 crore, while Phase II will bring an additional ₹11,850 crore, taking the plant’s capacity to 2 million tonne per annum (MTPA). Commercial production is targeted to commence by March 2028.
The project was originally approved in 2019 and witnessed foundation ceremonies in 2019 and again in 2023. However, despite repeated announcements and ceremonial events, the project failed to progress beyond the initial stage during the previous government’s tenure. After the NDA Government assumed power in 2024, the project was revived through sustained engagement with JSW, according to a release.