Hindalco powers India's high-speed future, copper innovations drive Namo Bharat Rapid Rail launch

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 17 : When Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India's first Namo Bharat Rapid Rail in Gujarat on Monday, it marked a major milestone for Hindalco Industries, a leading producer of copper and aluminium.
The new Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, built on the Vande-Bharat platform and being introduced for inter-city travel, runs on electric lines that are made from copper, mostly produced by Hindalco, the company said in statement. The company said it is also a key supplier of the metal for the motors and internal wiring in the gleaming new-age trains in the country.
The Aditya Birla Group flagship's copper is used in electrifying every two in three households in India, and about 95 per cent of railway electrification.
Its newly developed Cu-Silver alloys are ushering in the next phase of high-speed and urban transportation, dedicated freight corridors and the rapidly expanding metro rail network.
It is making progress in developing Copper-Magnesium alloys which will further upgrade the next generation, of sustainable electrification.
Hindalco has one of the world's largest single-location copper smelter complexes at Dahej in the Bharuch district of Gujarat with integrated port facilities.
Gujarat is the epicentre of copper production not just in India but in the world after China as output surges and newer allied industries come up to meet demand, particularly from rapid urbanization of the country, windmills and turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries, and in everything involved with electrification.
Talking about the project Rohit Pathak, CEO the copper business, Hindalco said that they were ramping up capacities and building new capabilities and innovative products as copper becomes a critical manufacturing component in India's transition towards a developed economy and net zero emissions.
"We are also setting up India's first e-waste recycling plant in Dahej which will further enhance the country's capabilities in copper recycling and reinforce Hindalco's leadership in green practices," Pathak said.
Hindalco is showcasing its latest innovations and sustainability efforts in copper, aluminium and specialty alumina, at the global conference on sustainable energy Re-Invest 2024 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from September 16-18 inaugurated by PM Modi.
The company is building India's largest Copper Inner Groove Tube plant at Wagodia, Gujarat. The project will be commissioned by the end of this calendar year and will reduce the import dependence on this key component in air conditioners. The company has also started work on the first and largest e-waste and copper recycling facility in Dahej.
Hindalco Industries Limited is the metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group. A USD 26 billion metals powerhouse, Hindalco is the world's largest aluminium company by revenue, and the world's second-largest Copper rods manufacturer (outside China).