Press Information
Tokyo, January 13, 2011 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has agreed with the Gujarat State government of India and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (DMICDC) to collaborate in the development of an environmentally friendly Smart Community and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on January 12 in India. In order to promote the development of the Smart Community, which creates energy-conserving, low-carbon, next-generation urban infrastructure through the introduction of the most advanced energy-saving technologies and urban transportation systems, MHI will form a consortium with four other Japanese companies - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. and the Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER)
Current plans call for the Smart Community to be established in Sanand and Changodar in Gujarat State, a key industrial area in northwestern India. The Smart Community plan is a part of DMICDC's grand plan to develop the regions in the corridor between Delhi and Mumbai, which include industrial parks, power plants, airports, ports, railways, roads and commercial facilities. The MHI-led five-company consortium targets business development opportunities in high-efficiency power generation systems leveraging natural gas and power generation systems using renewable energies, such as solar thermal, as well as promoting electrification in the transportation sector.
Specifically, the parties signing the MOU will endeavor to conduct a joint study on township grand design, the basic design of utility services and public-private partnership projects business scheme design for the Smart Community in the Sanand Industrial Area as a first show case, taking the results of a preliminary survey and feasibility study currently being conducted by the consortium regarding the next-generation urban town concept into account.
The Smart Community project of Gujarat, for which the MOU was signed, is based on the joint statement made at the Japan–India Annual Bilateral Summit held in December 2009 that pledged Japan’s contribution to the promotion of a Smart Community and a Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development plan. Since the Summit, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and DMICDC have been conducting specific discussions. METI is currently proposing to the Indian government to utilize a bilateral carbon-offset mechanism to concurrently achieve sustainable economic growth and a low-carbon community.
MHI will vigorously engage in the project, together with the four other consortium member companies, and aims to create a new business model that leverages Japan’s advanced energy-saving, low-carbon technologies.
BUSINESS CONTACT:Sustainable Energy & Environment Strategic Planning Department
About MHI Group
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.