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In a remarkable achievement for the Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) recommended environmental clearance for the 8.20 MTPA steel plant being set up by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel’s (AM/NS) in Anakapalli district. “With an overall investment commitment of ₹1.50 lakh crore, the AM/NS project is going to be India’s largest greenfield steel plant to date,” according to an official release. The AM/NS steel plant will be developed in multiple phases, with the first phase comprising 8.20 MTPA manufacturing capacity, which is targeted to be expanded to 24 MTPA in the final stage. It will employ advanced, energy-efficient, and low-emission technologies in tune with global sustainability and carbon management standards. On becoming fully operational, the AM/NS plant will emerge as a key anchor industry for the A.P. industrial corridor, enabling the growth of steel-based downstream units, machinery production clusters, and logistics networks across the north coastal districts. It will strengthen the Visakhapatnam – Anakapalli – Kakinada industrial belt, and anchor India’s position as a major player in sustainable steel production. As per the official statement, AM/NS, a joint venture of ArcelorMittal and Japan’s Nippon Steel, started its engagement with the GoAP in August 2024 by seeking land and policy support for establishing a world-class steel manufacturing hub in Andhra Pradesh. The government allotted the required land within three months and extended single-window facilitation to help the company in obtaining necessary statutory and environmental clearances without delay. All major approvals for the project have since been secured in just 14 months. IT & HRD Minister Nara Lokesh said the project was a reflection of Andhra Pradesh’s speed of doing business, transparency, and efficiency in governance. “Under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, A.P. built a system that can match global benchmarks in industrial facilitation. The AM/NS plant will transform the economic landscape of coastal Andhra Pradesh, generate lakhs of jobs, and significantly boost local manufacturing, exports, and skill development,” he asserted. Aditya Mittal, the CEO of ArcelorMittal and Managing Director of AM/NS, was quoted as saying that he was very impressed with the expeditious manner in which the GoAP had allotted land to the project, handed it over, and supported in obtaining the resource linkages and permits needed to set up the steel plant. Foundation for the AM/NS plant will be laid during the CII Partnership Summit (14–15 November 2025) in Visakhapatnam in the presence of top global CEOs, policymakers, and industry leaders.
