Mumbai, September 2026 : Under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, green and sustainable development is gaining significant momentum as Maharashtra moves towards becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy. At the India State Climate Investment Forum 2026 held earlier this year, investment commitments worth billions of rupees were announced for projects related to clean energy, green industries, carbon removal, clean fuels and agriculture in the state. These investments are expected to provide a major boost to green infrastructure, clean energy generation, sustainable agriculture and employment generation in the state.
Through a partnership between Mahapreit and Sugam-CSS, it has been announced that 100 solar-powered micro cold storages will be established in major fruit and vegetable-producing areas (clusters) of Maharashtra. In addition, through iCart and iCart Rise Foundation, assistance is being provided to connect 50 micro cold storages already established for Farmer Producer Organisations and farmer groups in more than 10 areas of the state with markets. This will help reduce post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables and increase farmers’ incomes.
In the clean energy sector, the summit generated interest in investments of around USD 50 million in agricultural solar energy and distributed solar projects. Further action has already been initiated with developers in Maharashtra under MSEDCL’s feeder solarisation programme as well as other similar projects. cKers Finance, a special green financing institution for the electrification of freight and passenger transport in cities, has expressed interest in providing financing of up to Rs 100 crore. This financing will be available for commercial electric three-wheelers and four-wheelers and will help promote clean transportation systems in the state.
An initial financing of Rs 100 crore was announced for rooftop solar and energy-efficiency projects for micro, small and medium enterprises. A partnership with Mahapreit was also announced for this purpose. In the carbon removal sector, Varaha announced an initial investment of Rs 100 crore, with plans to increase it to Rs 1,000 crore over the next three years. Eighteen biomass gasification projects will be established in Vidarbha, creating a capacity to remove more than 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over a period of 15 years. An agreement has been signed with Microsoft to purchase more than one lakh tonnes of carbon removal credits from the carbon credits generated through biochar produced from these projects.
A white paper on potential projects related to nature-based solutions such as biochar, agroforestry and increasing soil carbon in Maharashtra was presented at the Carbon Removals Investor Conclave held in the United Kingdom in May 2026. Following this, a discussion with a group of potential investors has been scheduled for September 22 against the backdrop of New York Climate Week 2026. An important step has also been taken to promote Maharashtra as a major hub for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. In this regard, a white paper has been prepared jointly by Ckinetics and Smart Freight Centre, and efforts are underway to establish the Maharashtra SAF Alliance. The alliance is expected to take concrete shape by the end of the current financial year.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed confidence that the investment initiatives announced at the conference will attract large-scale capital investment in Maharashtra’s clean energy, green industries, carbon management, agricultural value chains and sustainable transportation sectors, while giving new momentum to the state’s green economy.
