Reliance plans Rs 43,000 cr coal gasification project in Andhra Pradesh, document shows

India's Reliance Industries plans to invest about 430 billion rupees ($4.59 billion) in two phases to build an integrated underground coal gasification complex in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, according to a government document seen by Reuters.

Reliance did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

The project could eventually attract investments of up to 2.7 trillion rupees over its lifetime and generate around 5,000 direct and 35,000 indirect jobs, the document showed.

The proposal adds to a wave of major investments in Andhra Pradesh, where Google has committed $15 billion to build an AI hub and Reliance and its joint venture partners plan to invest $11 billion in data centre capacity.

South Korean carmaker Kia's Indian unit on Thursday also announced plans to invest about $2 billion to set up an additional manufacturing plant in the state.

Reliance's proposed Andhra Pradesh project would use underground gasification technology to turn deep coal reserves into usable gas without conventional mining.

The company plans to invest about 30 billion rupees in the first phase, which will involve exploration, geological assessments and pilot demonstrations to establish the project's technical and commercial feasibility.

The second phase, involving an initial investment of about 400 billion rupees, will proceed only after successful completion of the first phase and receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals.