India’s state-owned natural gas provider,GAIL(India)Limited,has confirmed an investment of₹38 billion(approximately USD 454 million)in a 700MW solar and energy storage portfolio spanning the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.This project will provide power for GAIL’s own use,marking a strategic shift for the company from a traditional energy provider to an integrated energy enterprise.

The portfolio comprises two key developments.The first is a 600MW solar facility located within the TUSCO Solar Park in Jhansi,Uttar Pradesh.This facility will be supported by a 550MWh BESS and will primarily power GAIL’s petrochemical plant in Pata in the Auraiya district.

The second is a 100MW solar project in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar,Maharashtra,which is paired with a 22MWh energy storage system.This installation will supply clean electricity to GAIL’s PDH-PP plant in Usar,in the Raigad district.

GAIL’s Chairman and Managing Director,Deepak Gupta,highlighted that commissioning the two projects will increase the company’s total installed renewable energy capacity from 147MW to over 1GW.The firm has outlined ambitious decarbonisation goals,targeting net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2035 and net-zero Scope 3 emissions by 2040,as well as expanding its renewable energy capacity to 3.4GW by 2035.

GAIL first outlined its ambitions in the solar sector in 2023 when it announced plans to establish a vertically integrated solar manufacturing chain encompassing metallurgical-grade silicon,polysilicon,wafers,cells,modules,and solar glass.Further supporting its transition to renewables,in February 2026 the company initiated construction of a research and development centre in Sohna,Haryana,with renewable energy designated as one of seven core research priorities.