JULY, 20258TOP STORIESTOP STORIESADANI POWER BOOSTS THERMAL CAPACITY WITH RS 4,000 CR VIDARBHA DEALBRICS NATIONS SLAM EU'S CARBON BORDER TAX AS UNFAIR TRADE BARRIERAdani Power has officially completed its acquisition of Vidarbha Industries Power Ltd (VIPL) for Rs 4,000 crore, confirming its position as India's largest private sector thermal power producer.Completion of the acquisition was approved by the Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on June 18 and marks a major milestone in Adani Power's fast-track expansion plan. The acquisition closed on July 7, 2025.With this strategic move, Adani Power has acquired a 600 MW coal-based thermal plant located at Butibori (Nagpur) that will now be part of its growing energy business, increasing its total operating capacity at that time to approximately 18,150 MW. The plant has two units of 300 MW each and was previous controlled by Reliance Power, which faced operational difficulties due to fuel supply issues and lack of long-term power purchase agreements.This is consistent with a broader vision on the part of Adani Power to ramp-up portfolio capacity to 30,670 MW by 2029-2030 comprised of brownfield and greenfield ultra-supercritical projects throughout India. Industry analysts see the deal not only as a strong sign of consolidation for the thermal power segment but also indication that distressed assets are getting a second chance in light of India's Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).Adani's entry is also expected to revive local industrial hopes in Nagpur for stable, captive power supply. cement, fertilizers, and aluminum in 2026. The EU contends that it is part of its green transition and is being implemented to promote sustainability and accountability on carbon. BRICS reads the mechanism as contrary to principles in global trade that emphasizes equity between developed and developing countries as well common but differentiated responsibilities under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) initiatives.This move has raised alarms across manufacturing and export-heavy sectors in countries like India, Brazil, and China. The carbon levy could have competitiveness implications, disrupt current and future green investment opportunities, and the uncertainty could provoke trade tensions while there are broader global efforts to decarbonise supply chains.BRICS instead has called for developed countries to responsibly finance their climate finance commitments ($100 billion a year until 2025, which will increase to $300 billion by 2030) to assist clean transitions in the Global South.The standoff underscores the growing divide over climate-linked trade policies and their implications for emerging markets. In a strong message to the European Union, BRICS countries have collectively rejected the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), calling it a unilateral and discriminatory trade measure.In a joint statement from the BRICS climate and environment ministers, they condemned the carbon border tax as protectionist and cautioned that it would put inappropriate burdens on developing economies.The CBAM will start to impose carbon-linked tariffs on imports of emissions-intensive goods, such as steel,
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