The Indian government relaxed national security protocols along the Pakistani border and gave way to the renewable energy park. This is a project that was ultimately handed over to one of India’s wealthiest men, Gautam Adani, official documents reveal.
The Adani Group is building the Khavda factory, the world’s largest renewable project, in Gujarat. The conglomerate is managed by Adani and Narendra Modi, a close relationship with Adani’s prime minister, has recently been under intense scrutiny.
In November, the US government accused the billionaire of fraud on alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar bribery scheme that included renewable electricity from the Khavda complex. He denied the claim.
The Adani Group controls India’s growing green energy sector, and Khavda is at the heart of the conglomerate’s ambitions for renewable energy. The plant is seen as important enough for India’s energy independence and renewable pledge, as it will be launched by Modi himself in 2020.
Currently, private communication and government secret minutes seen by the Guardians show revised security protocols from the Ministry of Defense on behalf of the developer, creating a commercially viable sensitive area at the Indian-Pakistan border. After indicating this, national security concerns have been raised over the project.
The Adani Group is building solar panels and wind turbines 1 km (0.6 miles) from the border with Pakistan on land leased by the Gujarat government. Kutch’s Rann is adjacent to Sir Creek, a territory that has been targeted in past India-Pakistan conflicts and was contested with Pakistan. The two countries went to war four times.
Previous national defense protocols did not allow major construction beyond existing villages and roads up to 10 km from the border with Pakistan, preventing the large-scale installation of solar panels.
However, according to the documents, the Gujarat government, managed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will relax the protocol to create Kutch Ran land available for construction of both solar and wind. It shows that they have lobbyed at the highest level.
According to official communications, a letter written by Gujarat officials to the Prime Minister’s Office before April 2023 was written, demanding that the issue be raised with the Ministry of Defense.
A secret government meeting was then held in Delhi on April 21, 2023 to discuss the proposal of the sun from the Gujarat government. The Director of the Military Operations, Gujarat officials and the Ministry of Renewable Energy were present.
According to the secret minutes of the conference, “concerns” have been raised regarding the meaning of solar panels for tank mobilization along the border and security surveillance along the border. However, the developers assured that “it would be appropriate to mitigate the threat from enemy tank movements.”
Other requests made by military officials to adjust the solar panel size were rejected by the developers as they were not “financially viable.”
At the end of the meeting, the Ministry of Defense agreed to a “mutual consensus” and constructed solar panels and wind turbines near 1 km in Pakistan to make the land economically viable for renewable energy. It’s made possible.
By May 8, 2023, the Modi government had officially made the decision. Notifications have been issued to all ministries confirming relaxation of guidelines on infrastructure development that apply not only to the Indian-Pakistan border, but also to lands adjacent to Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and Nepal. It shows that India’s strategic stance has shown a major change in its stance along its volatile border as a whole.
Military experts raised concerns about the security implications of the decision to ease border restrictions and build one of India’s most valuable civil energy assets near Pakistan.
Ajay Shukla, retired Indian Army Colonel and defense analyst, said:
“By changing border defense norms and protocols to make cheap land available for commercial exploitation, the military effectively tackles a broader defence responsibility for civilian commercial interests. I’m here.”
According to senior military personnel, the policy changes were met with surprise and concern among the army ranks. The Guardian understands that senior Army officials overseeing operations in the region have not been consulted about the decision.
Two senior officers who were not allowed to speak to the media can mobilize the military in the event of security threats or invasions from Pakistan, as has happened in Kutch’s Run in the past. I questioned whether it was.
“What if we need to lay mines, anti-tanks, and anti-personnel? What about the concept of space and surprise in offensive and defensive operations?” asked one officer.
Another questioned the guarantee the developer had given them that solar panels were sufficient to stop enemy tanks. “We have compromised on our professional requirements to protect India’s territory,” he said.
How the transaction was carried out
When the meeting in Delhi was convened in April 2023, 230 square kilometers (90 square miles) of the closest land to Pakistan had been allocated to the state-owned Solar Energy Corporation (SECI). But by August, after the Ministry of Defense agreed to relax border rules, it agreed to make the land ten times more valuable for renewable construction – that is the hands of the Adani group. there was.
Confidential Communication said SECI was encouraged to “stolen” the land at a meeting chaired by Modi’s Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh in early May. In a letter dated July 17, 2023, Seci pulled the land back to the Gujarat government, clearly stated that it was unaware of beneficial changes to border protocols, maintaining it as “commercially viable.” .
However, the Adani group had been notified. Two weeks before SECI agreed to abandon the land, the company expressed interest in obtaining it in light of the “revised” border protocol in Gujarat, in a letter seen by the Guardian. I wrote a letter to the officials.
It was the Gujarat Government Commission led by BJP Prime Minister Bhupendra Patel that redistributed the land in August. Several state-owned companies made bids, but eventually another 255 square kilometres were handed over to the Adani Group.
This decision was incredibly advantageous for the Adani group. Khavda currently occupies 445 square kilometers, four times the size of Paris, and at its peak, the park claims to produce 30gW of renewable energy. Google will become its customer.
In a statement, an Adani spokesman said: “We are fully compliant with all state and central government laws and regulations, ensuring all necessary approvals from relevant competent authorities.
“The land allocation for the project is based on the qualifications and performance of Adani Green Energy, India’s largest renewable energy company, which is in compliance with policy guidelines.”
The Indian government did not respond to requests for comment.
Opposition politicians have repeatedly denounced Modi and BJP governments for entering corrupt deals and supporting Adani groups. This is particularly prevalent in Adani’s hometown of Gujarat, and the allegations date back to when Modi was prime minister for decades. The Adani Group has denied any special treatment by the Modi government.
In November, the US indictment led Adani and his executives to favor the suspect’s executive who would pay $265 million (£225 million) to Indian government officials between 2020 and 2024. You were trying to win a solar energy supply contract.
The majority of these “corrupted” transactions have been cited by US investigators related to renewable energy, which are produced at Adani’s Khavda plant and are allegedly sold at an inflated price to the state government.
The Andhra Pradesh government is about to cancel one of its biggest deals to buy 7GW of solar power from Adani’s Kahuda factory, but has paid $444 million for the project’s shares in France. Total said it has suspended all further investments. conglomerate. The Adani Group denied all allegations as “basic” and said it wanted all “potential legal measures.”
In December, India’s parliament stopped when opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused the prime minister of handing over the country to Adani.
“The Prime Minister is protecting Adani and the Prime Minister is involved in Adani’s corruption,” Gandhi said. “The Adani hijacked India… This country is in the Adani grip.”
