Vijay’s UK tour secures Rs 15,300 cr investments

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay concluded a “successful” official six-day trip to the United Kingdom and returned to Chennai on Thursday, securing investment commitments worth Rs 15,300 crore and generating over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for the state. The visit forms part of the state’s strategic roadmap to transition Tamil Nadu into a USD 1.5 trillion economy by 2036 under a transparent and efficient administration, an official release said.

During his visit, CM Vijay met with the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Kumaran Periasamy, on September 12 to discuss trade synergies stemming from the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). “The Tamil Nadu government has secured a investment commitments worth Rs 15,300 crore and over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for the state,” the release said, adding that the visit was “sucessful.”

Accordingly, on September 14, major MoUs and Letters of Intent (LoI) spanning auto components, R&D, renewable energy, power grid equipment, and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) were formalised. The release further said that Samvardhana Motherson International partnered with European and UK entities will invest Rs 11,000 crore in design, engineering, manufacturing, logistics, and assembly, creating 7,000 jobs. Sigma Technology Group (Sweden) committed via Sriya Solutions to expand GCCs in Tiruchirappalli and Chennai, generating 600 high-value jobs in embedded systems and industrial digitalisation.

Similarly, Ernst & Young signed an MoU to set up a GCC under a Build-Operate-Transform-Transfer (BOTT) model along the Mount-Poonamallee GCC corridor in Chennai. The Rs 1,000 crore centre will generate over 2,000 high-value jobs. Wilson Power Solutions (UK) signed an MoU to invest Rs 300 crore in Tiruvallur district for efficient transformer manufacturing, generating 400 jobs.

Following his September 3 announcement in the TN Assembly under Rule 110 to establish a world-class “Motor Sports City” in Tamil Nadu, CM Vijay inspected the Silverstone Circuit’s race control, race track, safety systems, and the Silverstone Museum. Actor and racer Ajith Kumar assisted in demonstrating circuit operations. Vijay officially flagged off the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup at Silverstone, in which Kumar participated.

The CM instructed state officials to swiftly facilitate all operational requirements for these project arrivals. He expressed sincere gratitude to the Indian High Commission, Silverstone and Michelin Le Mans authorities, actor Kumar, investors, and the Tamil diaspora in London, while expressing regret over a canceled diaspora meeting due to local police security restrictions, the release added.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside London’s tallest building, The Shard, on Tuesday were disappointed after the event to see the TN CM was cancelled after the Metropolitan police expressed safety concerns.

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