Hindalco develops India's first all-aluminium railway wagon

26 Aug 2022 CW Team

Hindalco Industries, the Aditya Birla Group metals company, has developed the country's first all-aluminium railway wagon that is 3.2 tons lighter than a steel rake.

Speaking at Hindalco's annual general meeting this week, chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla termed the wagon, made from lightweight, high-strength aluminium alloys, a game-changer.

The wagon will enable savings of 1,500 tons in carbon emissions a year. It will boost the logistics efficiency of coal transportation and also fast tracks India's decarbonisation journey, Birla said.

"Even if 5% of the 2 lakh railway wagons that the government plans to introduce are made of aluminium, potential CO2 savings will be in the region of 15 million tons per year,” he said.

In terms of clean energy, Hindalco is breaking new ground. It has achieved targets of 100 MW renewable capacity and looking to achieve a renewable capacity of 300 MW by FY2024-25, including 100 MW solar power capacity with hybrid storage.

The company's environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments include achieving net carbon neutrality, water positivity, no net loss of biodiversity, and zero waste to landfill by 2050.

Fuelled by solid financial performance and a strong balance sheet, the company is aiming to achieve a new wave of transformation growth driven by organic expansion.

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