9OCTOBER 2025SAATVIK TO INVEST 3,150 CR IN ODISHA SOLAR FACILITYMERCEDES-BENZ INDIA PARTNERS WITH NSDC TO TRAIN 1,000 YOUTHSaatvik Green Energy Limited (SGEL) announced on Thursday that it plans to invest 3,150 crore in a greenfield project located in Odisha, where the company intends to establish a facility with a capacity of 4 gigawatts (GW) for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and 4.8 GW for cell production in phases.SGEL specializes in the manufacturing of high-efficiency PV modules and provides engineering, procurement, and Mercedes-Benz India has revealed that it has formed a strategic alliance with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide education for 1,000 young people and women from economically weaker sections through a 12-month skill development program in the automotive sector.The programme is intended to be held from March 2025 to March 2026 and will be the new Skill Development Centres in Pune and Delhi-NCR. The name of the programme is IGNiTE 4.0 which deals with emerging skill areas like electric vehicle construction (EPC) services for utility-scale, commercial, and industrial projects. As of June 2025, the company operates a module capacity of approximately 3.8 GW and is in the process of adding an additional 1 GW capacity at its Ambala facility in Haryana.Prashant Mathur, the CEO of SGEL, stated that the capacity expansion is essential for the company to maintain its market share. The new greenfield manufacturing facility in Odisha is designed to achieve this objective.The initial phase of the project will include 4 GW of module capacity and 2.4 GW of cell capacity, with a module capital expenditure of 550 crore and a cell capital expenditure of 1,300 crore. The subsequent phase will contribute an additional 2.4 GW of capacity, backed by an extra investment of 1,300 crore, culminating in a total capital expenditure of 3,150 crore, he noted.This strategy underscores Saatvik's commitment to expanding its manufacturing capabilities while establishing itself as a fully integrated renewable energy enterprise.The company aims to unify its upstream and downstream operations, encompassing everything from wafer inputs to module assembly and inverter solutions, with a strong emphasis on domestic manufacturing, as highlighted by Mathur. servicing, automotive quality control, product testing, and Industry 4.0 technologies.The training will be conducted through the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) and will be NSQF-compliant. Kedman Skilling Private Limited is the training partner while Manav Rachna University and MIT ADT University will be the venue for the centres.Emrah Oezer, Executive Director and CFO, Mercedes-Benz India, underlined that the project is all about creating new career pathways for young talents on the one hand and fulfilling the demand of the industry for skilled professionals in advanced automotive technologies, on the other.The programme is also seeking to be gender-empowering since it is estimated that 30 percent of women will participate. The project is structured to offer entrepreneurship training, mock interviews, workplace visits, and post-placement support to improve the level of employability.There are three phases of implementing IGNiTE 4.0 which are setting up and assessing the centre, deep training and job mapping, and post-training placement with mentoring, allowing career progression.Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State for Skill Development and Education, praised the initiative, pointing out its consistency with India's goal of developing a skilled workforce for the e-mobility and Industry 4.0 era.
< Page 8 | Page 10 >