NEW DELHI: Gautam Adani, the Indian coal mining billionaire, has become Asia's wealthiest man thanks to a drive into renewable energy, which has increased his fortune to USD 88.5 billion.

According to Forbes and Bloomberg, Adani has surpassed fellow countryman Mukesh Ambani to enter the top ten richest persons in the world, after having his personal fortune climb by USD 12 billion in the last year. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who dropped down the ranking several places this week after losing USD 30 billion of his personal fortune, is among the mega-rich Adani has leapfrogged to reach the world top ten, according to the study.

His Adani Group owns 74 percent of Mumbai International Airport and controls India's largest port, Mundra, in the mogul's native state of Gujarat.

But, according to the report, his investment in green energy has paid off handsomely in the last year, with the listed business Adani Green Energy becoming his most valuable after its share price nearly doubled in the past year.

By 2030, the company plans to invest USD 70 billion in green energy projects, with the goal of becoming the world's largest renewable energy generator.

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