Hitachi, The Japanese tech giant, will build $600Million Desalination Plant and will start construction this year on a large-scale desalination plant at an industrial park of Neemrana, ancient historical town in Alwar district of Rajasthan, situated at 122 km from Delhi on the Delhi-Jaipur highway in Behror tehsil. It is situated in between Behror and shahajahanpur in the state of Rajasthan. The area is a booming industrial hub in western India and Hitachi will begin supplying water in about two years.
The total project is estimated at $600 million. Japan Bank for International Cooperation will extend loans to cover most of the cost. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is scheduled to visit India from Saturday, and his counterpart, Manmohan Singh, will affirm their commitment to the project in a joint statement.
Hitachi, in collaboration with Singapore-based Hyflux and other partners, will build the plant in the Dahej industrial park. Capable of processing a little more than 330,000 tons of water a day, the plant will be among the largest in Asia.
Within the zone, home to many automotive and chemical firms, the water supply is expected to fall some 310,000 tons short of daily demand by 2015, making the project crucial to the industrial district’s continued operation.
Hitachi will not only handle construction but also take part in running the plant to accumulate related know-how.