Vedanta to invest Rs 80,000 crore in Northeast for energy, infrastructure boost

Vedanta Group has announced a Rs 80,000 crore investment plan for India’s Northeast, marking one of the largest private-sector commitments to the region’s economic development to date. The announcement was made at the Rising Northeast Investors Summit 2025, a flagship investment event hosted by the Ministry of Development of the Northeastern Region.

The investment spans six states—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Mizoram—and will focus on oil & gas, critical minerals, refining, renewable energy, power transmission, optical fibre networks, data centres, and system integration projects.

This commitment follows a Rs 50,000 crore investment announced earlier this year at the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit. The additional Rs 30,000 crore unveiled at the Rising Northeast Summit expands Vedanta’s development footprint across the remaining Northeastern states.

According to Vedanta, the integrated investment plan is expected to generate up to 1 lakh jobs and support large-scale socio-economic development in the region.

Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Group, addressed the summit, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Development of Northeastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia. Emphasising the region’s growing significance, Agarwal said:

“Today, the states of the Northeast are growing in double digits. The opportunities are growing even faster. Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, this region has become a key engine of growth for Viksit Bharat. The private sector is ready to be a partner for prosperity.”

Vedanta’s oil and gas arm, Cairn, has already been active in the region, operating the Hazarigaon field in Assam—the first Discovered Small Field (DSF) in the Northeast to reach production. The field supplies clean natural gas to local tea estates and fuels over 100 CNG buses in Guwahati, aligning with Assam’s clean energy goals.

Arunachal Pradesh is central to Vedanta’s minerals strategy, with recent acquisitions of vanadium and graphite blocks through government auctions. These minerals are vital to India’s ambitions in hi-tech manufacturing and green energy.

The company is also advancing hydroelectric and transmission projects, including a 300 km transmission system enabling 1,000 MW power transfer from Assam to Meghalaya, significantly improving power access in the region.

Beyond infrastructure, Vedanta is scaling up social programs. These include the expansion of its Nand Ghars (modern anganwadis), handloom skill centres for women, digital classrooms, and youth sports programs. Over 3,000 women have already gained financial independence through Vedanta-supported handloom initiatives, and the company remains active across 200 villages.

Further, Vedanta has partnered with Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve to support conservation efforts, enhancing its role in preserving the region’s biodiversity.

With vast reserves of oil, gas, and critical minerals—alongside an abundance of hydro power potential—the Northeast is emerging as a critical hub for India’s future energy and manufacturing needs. Vedanta’s latest announcement not only reaffirms its long-term vision for the region but also signals increased private sector confidence in Northeast India’s potential.