Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has requested the Centre for the partial de-notification of its multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Mundra, Gujarat. The proposal, which pertains to de-notifying 333.7 hectares of the total 8,282.7 hectares, will be reviewed by the Board of Approval, the highest decision-making body for SEZs, during a meeting of the Board to be chaired by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal.
According to the agenda of the meeting, APSEZ has cited economic challenges in the solar market and the heavy dumping of solar equipment into India, which has made the units in the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) within the SEZ unviable. The company argues that the survival of these units depends on exiting the SEZ framework. As a result, the co-developer, Mundra Solar Technopark, has requested the removal of the EMC area from the SEZ.
The Gujarat government has expressed no objections to the proposal and has requested the central government to process the application for partial de-notification.
Additionally, the inter-ministerial board will also review a proposal from Mundra Petrochem Ltd for an extension of the Letter of Approval (LOA) by one year. The project, initially delayed due to the Covid pandemic and other factors, is now progressing rapidly, according to the agenda.
SEZs are critical export hubs for India, accounting for more than a third of the country’s total exports. The country currently has 423 SEZs approved, with 280 operational, contributing significantly to India’s export growth, which rose by over 4% to $163.69 billion in 2023-24.
