The Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) will expand with two projects under consideration by the Board of Approval after in-principle state clearance. One proposal, from Essar Power SEZ, envisages an initial investment of Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million (mn)), while Arham SEZ (I) Pvt. Ltd has proposed Rs 230 crore (Rs 2.3 billion (bn)). The projects aim to support biofuel production and multiproduct manufacturing. Essar’s plan targets a sector-specific biofuels and biorefinery SEZ in Khambhalia taluka and Arham has proposed a multi-product SEZ at Vadala village. Both proposals are under active consideration and will follow established approval processes. Dhyaneshwar Patil, zonal development commissioner for Gujarat SEZs and EOUs, reported that exports from Gujarat SEZs rose from Rs 179,808 crore (Rs 1,798.08 bn) in 2014-15 to Rs 300,793 crore (Rs 3,007.93 bn) in 2025-26, an increase of nearly 67 per cent. He said Gujarat contributes 21 per cent of India’s SEZ exports. Investments rose from Rs 122,654 crore (Rs 1,226.54 bn) to Rs 228,624 crore (Rs 2,286.24 bn), and employment increased from 63,475 to over 0.22 mn. Patil noted notification of four semiconductor SEZs in Gujarat, including projects by CG Semi Technologies, Kaynes Semicon, Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing and Micron Technology. Authorities have set targets of 20 per cent exports and 10 per cent year-on-year growth for Gujarat SEZs, reflecting a shift towards high-technology manufacturing. More than 3,600 hectares of land is available across operational SEZs such as Kandla, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Aqualine, GIDC Gandhinagar Electronic Park and Aspen. India has about 265 operational SEZs, of which roughly 20 are located in Gujarat. A Ministry of Commerce official said SEZs will support export expansion as global markets integrate and noted India’s overall exports reached US $863.1 billion in 2025-26, up about 4 per cent. The government launched an Export Promotion Mission with an outlay of Rs 25,600 crore (Rs 256 bn) for 2025-26 to 2030-31 to strengthen the export ecosystem and support MSMEs, and over 500 new product lines have been introduced with supplies reaching 30 new countries.