Development Watch – Week #3 Nov’25

Development News

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Navi Mumbai Airport to begin operations in December

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will start commercial flight operations from December 25 and initially, there will be 23 scheduled daily departures. In the first month, the airport will operate for 12 hours between 8 am and 8 pm, handling 23 scheduled daily departures. During this period, the airport will manage up to 10 flight movements per hour, a release said on Monday. The airport has been developed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (NMIAL), a special purpose vehicle jointly owned by Adani Group and the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO). From February 2026, the airport will transition to round-the-clock operations, expanding to 34 daily departures.

Push for wider rural road coverage

States have drawn up an ambitious, albeit tentative, list of 49,449 habitations for coverage under the latest phase of the central government’s flagship rural road scheme until 2028-29, which is almost double the number of habitations that were proposed to be connected with all-weather roads. This could lead to the government either prolonging the implementation of the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-IV) with a larger outlay, or introducing a new one upon its expiry in 2028-29 to cover all eligible habitations in hinterlands. As per the tentative list, Odisha leads the pack of states, having identified 6,118 habitations where rural roads require to be built, followed by Madhya Pradesh (5,863), Assam (5,117), Andhra Pradesh (4,132) and Gujarat (3,873).

NHPC’s 300 MW solar project

Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL) on Monday said it has commissioned NHPC’s 300 MW solar project as part of an EPC contract. A subsidiary of Tata Power, TPREL is a developer of renewable energy projects (including solar, wind, hybrid, round-the-clock, peak, floating solar, and storage systems like battery storage). In a statement, TPREL said it “has successfully commissioned NHPC’s 450 MWp (DC)/300 MW (AC) solar power project as the EPC contractor at Karnisar Bhatiyan, Bikaner, Rajasthan”. The NHPC-owned large-scale solar project, developed by TPREL, is supplying the entire power to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

50 MW wind project in Gujarat

Juniper Green Energy has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) for a 50 MW wind project in Gujarat. Under this PPA signed through arm Juniper Green BESS Delta, Juniper Green Energy will develop a wind energy project located in Gujarat, the company said in a statement. The project is scheduled to commence the supply of power from November 6, 2027. The PPA was signed on November 7, for a period of 25 years.

Russian cooperation for shipbuilding and port infra

Russia has proposed shipbuilding collaborations with India. Initiatives include providing existing or developing new designs for fishing, passenger, and auxiliary vessels. This aims to broaden maritime sector partnership across the Indo-Pacific region. Discussions also covered crew training and deep-sea research. Prime Minister Modi noted productive discussions on connectivity, skill development, shipbuilding, and the blue economy. The two countries have explored the possibility of bilateral cooperation in the civilian maritime sector, with a focus on collaboration in shipbuilding, port infrastructure and maritime logistics. Russia has extensive experience in creating specialized ships such as ice-class vessels, ice-breakers, and in green shipbuilding.

India needs maritime development to meet oil demand

India has significant reliance on imports to meet its energy requirements, with nearly 89% of the crude oil used being imported. This dependence extends to other key fuels as well, with about 50% of natural gas and approximately 59% of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) needs met through imports. Moreover, India is also a major exporter of petroleum products, shipping around 65 million metric tonnes (MMT) annually. This is largely due to its strong domestic refining capacity, which is the fourth largest globally. Petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL) play a key role in India’s overall cargo trade, accounting for roughly 28% of the cargo volume handled at Indian ports. This includes crude oil, refined petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and LPG.

$1 billion HUDCO pooled fund for metro projects

HUDCO, or the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited, is making waves by planning a transformative investment aimed at enhancing India’s metro network. Currently in conversation with multilateral banks, the organization seeks to assemble a pooled fund of over one billion dollars. this pool will have funds from a mix of foreign and domestic sources, including banks. The aim is to offer loans at rates comparable to multilateral institutions. India’s metro network has grown from 248km in 2014 to 1,013km in 2025, making it the third largest in the world. The country aims to double the length of its metro network by 2030. The transit-oriented development (TOD) approach for metro projects has boosted prospects for this sector. TOD focuses on creation of high-density mixed land use development within walking distance of stations or along the corridors. HUDCO is shifting its focus beyond affordable housing, exploring public-private partnership (PPP) roads, ports, airports, real estate and energy transition projects.