Japanese Companies Invited to Set up Fuel Cell Industries in Telangana

Hyderabad: As part of his three-day visit to Japan, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka had a busy Wednesday, visiting Toshiba’s headquarters and industries, discussing the setup of fuel cell divisions and holding various meetings.

Bhatti Vikramarka visited the headquarters of the multinational electronics and electrical giant Toshiba, located 50 kilometers away. He was accompanied by Chief Secretary of Finance Ramakrishna Rao, Energy Secretary Ronald Ross, Singareni CMD N Balaram and officials from the Indian Embassy Bansal and Devajani.

Toshiba’s senior executives, including Hiroshi Kaneta from Energy Systems and Solutions and Vice President Shige Rizo Kawahara welcomed the Deputy Chief Minister and the officials with great hospitality. They then explained Toshiba's products and services through a PowerPoint presentation.

Though primarily an electronics production company, Toshiba is now a leader in environmentally friendly solar products. They provided details about their work in manufacturing photovoltaic modules for solar power, fuel cells, battery energy storage technology, powerful generators, and zero-carbon emission technologies.

During the meeting, Bhatti Vikramarka emphasised that Telangana is planning to install large-scale solar plants, which will require a significant quantity of photovoltaic modules.

He also noted that fuel cell technology will have increased usage in "Future City" projects, encouraging Toshiba to set up relevant units in the state through joint partnerships.

Bhatti stated that Telangana needs modern generators, energy-saving and storage products, electric vehicle batteries, and related services, urging Toshiba to take advantage of these opportunities and invest in the state.

"The State government is determined to make Telangana an electronics hub, with green electric vehicles leading in "Future City," he disclosed.

"All RTC buses in the State are expected to be converted to electric vehicles soon and Toshiba’s services will be essential in this transition. Additionally, Singareni, as part of its business expansion, is planning to move into mining other minerals such as lithium, and since Toshiba is a leader in lithium battery production, a collaboration between Singareni and Toshiba could be beneficial," Bhatti said.

The delegation also visited Toshiba’s Fuel Cell Manufacturing Unit nearby and inspected the production of turbines and generators used in nuclear and thermal power generation, as well as the manufacturing processes of photovoltaic modules and various batteries.

Responding to Bhatti Vikramarka invitation, Toshiba officials stated that they have established their units in only three Indian States, with Telangana being a prominent one.

They noted that Telangana is highly conducive to industrial establishment and business expansion and expressed a positive outlook on expanding their operations in the State, either independently or in joint partnership with the state government.

They also mentioned plans to increase their current EV vehicle production capacity and expand their plant.

Later in the afternoon, Bhatti Vikramarka and his delegation boarded a bullet train for a 700-kilometer journey to Osaka, where they plan to visit Panasonic’s headquarters and industries. On the occasion, he said Japan's public transportation system is a global model. Traveling from Tokyo to Osaka via the bullet train, the delegation covered the 700-kilometer distance in just 2 hours and 20 minutes.

He remarked on the comfort and excellent facilities of the train, expressing his desire to develop a similar transport system in Telangana, adding that he would be proposing this to the Railway department.