Nara Lokesh Pitches Andhra Pradesh to Blackstone, Brookfield at WEF 2026

 Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh held back-to-back meetings with senior leadership of Blackstone and Brookfield Asset Management on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2026, pitching large-scale investment opportunities in the state.

Lokesh met Blackstone Chairman and CEO Stephen A Schwarzman and, in a separate engagement, Brookfield Asset Management President Connor Teskey. Blackstone and Brookfield together manage close to USD 2 trillion in assets across infrastructure, real estate, clean energy, digital platforms, logistics and transition investing.

ENGAGEMENT WITH BLACKSTONE In discussions with Blackstone, Lokesh outlined opportunities in Grade-A commercial office space, integrated mixed-use urban developments, port-linked industrial and logistics parks, renewable energy and hyperscale data centres. Potential locations included Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, Rayalaseema and the CBIC–VCIC industrial corridors.

The discussions focused on Andhra Pradesh's fast-growing urban centres, its port-led industrialisation strategy and its execution-oriented policy framework aimed at enabling large, institution-grade real asset investments.

Blackstone's global experience in office platforms, logistics parks, mixed-use developments and digital infrastructure was positioned as aligning with the state’s ambition to build globally competitive, sustainable cities and industrial ecosystems at scale.

"We discussed opportunities in Grade-A offices, mixed-use urban developments, port-linked industrial & logistics parks, renewable energy and hyperscale data centres across Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, Rayalaseema and the CBIC–VCIC corridors," Lokesh said in a post on X.

"When the world's largest long-term capital partners engage back-to-back, it reflects Andhra Pradesh's momentum, scale, and credibility." ENGAGEMENT WITH BROOKFIELD In a separate meeting with Brookfield Asset Management, Lokesh reviewed progress since earlier engagements in London and discussed next steps to accelerate the Andhra Pradesh-Brookfield partnership.

Focus areas included fast-tracking Brookfield’s clean-energy-powered, gigawatt-scale data centre plans in Visakhapatnam, as well as energy storage, solar manufacturing and green hydrogen pilot projects near port-led industrial clusters.

The discussions also covered ongoing large-scale renewable energy deployments in Andhra Pradesh under Evren, the Brookfield–Axis Energy platform, which is executing utility-scale solar and hybrid renewable projects in the state. These investments support Andhra Pradesh’s goal of providing round-the-clock green power to energy-intensive industries, digital infrastructure and future hydrogen value chains.

SIGNAL TO GLOBAL INVESTORS The consecutive engagements with the world's largest long-term capital providers at WEF 2026 were positioned as reflecting Andhra Pradesh’s growing momentum, credibility and capacity to absorb capital at scale. State officials highlighted the emphasis on speed of execution, policy certainty, port-led growth and clean energy as factors strengthening Andhra Pradesh’s appeal to global investors seeking long-term, sustainable returns.

"When the world’s largest long-term capital partners engage Andhra Pradesh in quick succession, it reflects confidence in the state’s scale, governance, and ambition," Lokesh said, adding that the state is focused on building enduring global partnerships that translate into jobs, infrastructure and inclusive economic growth.

The Davos engagements reinforce Andhra Pradesh's push to re-establish itself on the global investment map as an open, decisive and fast-moving destination for international capital.