Overview
Anant Ambani, executive director of Reliance Industries Ltd, has been steering the conglomerate’s clean‑energy business since 2022 with a stated goal of achieving net‑zero carbon emissions by 2035. At Reliance’s June 2026 annual meeting he declared, “The world built its old energy on Middle Eastern oil. Now, the world will build its new energy on Indian sunshine.”
Renewable‑energy hub in Kutch
Reliance is developing a renewable‑energy hub in Kutch, Gujarat, covering 550,000 acres (approximately 2,200 km²), which is larger than London’s 1,572 km² area. The hub is targeted to generate more than 40 billion electricity units per year – roughly 3 % of India’s total electricity consumption. By displacing grid electricity, which the Central Electricity Authority reports emitted 0.727 tonnes of CO₂ per 1,000 units in FY 2023‑24, the project would avoid about 29 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. This avoidance equals the emissions of approximately 6.8 million cars and represents about three‑quarters of Reliance’s own reported emissions.
Manufacturing complex in Jamnagar
A 5,000‑acre green‑energy complex is under construction in Jamnagar. It will house:
- A solar‑panel factory with an annual capacity of 20 GW; about 1 GW has already been produced, including India’s first certified heterojunction (HJT) panels.
- A battery factory slated to produce 40 GWh initially, scaling to 120 GWh, with the first phase expected in 2026.
- Facilities for green hydrogen and green chemicals targeting 3 million tonnes of capacity over a ten‑year horizon.
A $3 billion green‑ammonia agreement with Samsung C&T has been signed to support the hydrogen agenda. The entire green‑energy complex is valued at ₹75,000 crore (≈$10 billion) and was announced in 2021.
Ancillary environmental initiatives
Anant Ambani also founded Vantara, a 3,500‑acre (≈1,416 ha) forested area near Jamnagar that now hosts almost 10 million trees. Using FAO estimates that young tropical forests sequester 3.2‑10 tonnes of carbon per hectare annually, Vantara is estimated to capture between 17,000 and 52,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year.
Employment and broader impact
Reliance projects that the Kutch and Jamnagar initiatives will create roughly 200,000 jobs across construction, manufacturing, and operations.
Timeline and milestones
- 2026: Commencement of the first phase of the battery factory.
- 2030: Achievement of 100 GW of clean power capacity across Reliance’s renewable portfolio.
- 2035: Realisation of net‑zero carbon emissions for Reliance Industries.
Recognitions
Anant Ambani received the Global Humanitarian Award for leadership in conservation in December 2025, becoming the youngest and first Asian recipient. He was appointed executive director of Reliance Industries in May 2025 and holds a Professorship of Practice in Sustainability at Newcastle University, UK.
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