# Andhra data centre policy draws flak over power licences 2026-08-18T18:01:25+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Andhra Pradesh government's proposed policy to grant Deemed Distribution Licences (DDLs) to data centres has come under legal scrutiny. Frontline reports that an RTI response obtained by the Human Rights Forum in August revealed the energy department had concluded a DDL 'cannot be granted' to Adani Infra for the Google-Adani project. Legal experts cited by Frontline argue that the Electricity Act requires a licensee to supply electricity to consumers, not for self-consumption, making the policy legally infirm. Meanwhile, M9 News reports that opposition YSR Congress has raised concerns about the Google data centre in Visakhapatnam, particularly over water and power use. IT Minister Nara Lokesh countered in the Assembly, stating that drinking water would not be used and that dedicated power grids would be established. He also cited new cooling technologies to reduce water consumption. The state government is pushing Amaravati and Visakhapatnam as AI hubs. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Frontline's investigative report focuses on the legal challenges to the DDL policy, foregrounding regulatory conflict and opposition from rights groups, while M9 News presents the government's rebuttal to political criticism, framing it as misinformation. Frontline omits the government's defence of the policy as innovative, and M9 News omits the legal infirmities raised by experts. A measured reading shows that while the government has addressed resource concerns publicly, the unresolved legal status of the DDL framework creates uncertainty for the project's implementation. Watch for the APERC's decision on the DDL application. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 government-critical - frontline.thehindu.com (government critical) Highlights legal infirmities and RTI finding that DDL cannot be granted. - m9.news (pro government) Leads with government's clarifications and frames criticism as misinformation. This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-19T12:17:49+00:00. Tags: Adani Infra, Andhra Pradesh government, APERC, Electricity Act 2003, Google, Human Rights Forum Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/andhra-ai-data-centre-ddl-policy-faces-legal-scrutiny/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/andhra-ai-data-centre-ddl-policy-faces-legal-scrutiny/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/