9JULY 2025KAZIPET RAIL COACH FACTORY SET TO BEGIN PRODUCTION BY 2026In a pivotal moment for sustainable manufacturing, STL (Sterlite Technologies Ltd) and Hygenco Green Energies have launched Maharashtra's first green hydrogen and oxygen plant to power STL's optical fibre preform plant in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.This landmark project, dubbed Photon Leap, is historic, and enables STL to become one of the first three optical fibre manufacturers in the world to use green hydrogen as part of the manufacturing process.In a significant boost to India's rail infrastructure plans, the upcoming Kazipet Railway Manufacturing Unit in Telangana will start production by 2026, said Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The 521 crore manufacturing unit will be a vital part of India's plan to become a global hub for rail manufacturing and exports.The facility is operated under a build-own-operate model and was inaugurated on 17 July 2025, and provides Hyderabad guarantees, green hydrogen and oxygen supply for the next 20 years. For Hygenco, the collaboration is their third commercial plant after similar projects in Ujjain and Hisar, as Hygenco ramps the company's vision to install 10 GW of green hydrogen capacity by 2030.The plant is a technological leap forward, equipped with autonomous energy management systems, real-time monitoring, and AI-driven safety controls. It enables STL to reduce its annual carbon footprint by approximately 30%, aligning perfectly with the company's Net Zero by 2030 ambition.This breakthrough not only reinforces STL's commitment to climate responsibility but also sets a global industry benchmark in clean-tech adoption for fibre optic production. As green hydrogen gains traction in industrial applications, STL and Hygenco's partnership is a transformational blueprint for decarbonizing India's manufacturing sector--signaling a bold shift toward cleaner, future-ready infrastructure. The Kazipet facility is located in the city of Kazipet and will manufacture rail coaches, locomotives, and metro trains to international standards. Additionally, the unit will use robotic painting systems and modern material-handling units, and will be a standard for high-tech railway manufacturing."We will start the manufacturing process here in 2026. This factory has big potential; coaches, along with engines, can be manufactured here. Metro can also be manufactured here," Vaishnaw told the media after the meeting."It was a big dream of Telangana to have a coach manufacturing unit in Kazipet. PM Modi has made efforts for many years to fulfil this dream. This is a mega factory for manufacturing railway coaches...It is a modern factory. We are using modern technology here. Rs 500 crore is being invested here," he added.The Kazipet unit meets a long-held regional requirement as well as fits with the Indian Railways' vision for more railway equipment exports as they have already purchased international orders of locomotives and metro coaches. Upon opening, it is estimated that it will provide over 3,000 direct jobs and massive growth for ancillary industries throughout the region. Civil works are moving quickly and are anticipated to be finished by December 2025. STL AND HYGENCO SPARK SUSTAINABILITY REVOLUTION IN OPTICAL FIBRE
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