TERI brings Japanese technology to Rajkot-based foundry industry

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is all set to bring Japanese technology for the Rajkot-based foundry industry that will help it save energy by 30 per cent and has also started pilot project on it.

TERI is implementing a Government of Japan supported project which aims at promoting energy efficient technologies in small and medium enterprises in India.

The project is supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) under the "Research Partnership for Application of Low Carbon Technologies for Sustainable Development". TERI from India and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) from Japan are the two research partners in this project and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has undertaken the overall responsibility for administration of the project.

Earlier in December; a Japanese delegation had visited Rajkot and identified the foundry industry where this new technology can be used to save energy. At presently foundries are using electricity in cooling plant for drying process.

“We will install gasifire machine in cooling plants of foundry which is developed by Japanese company Yenmmar Limited. The new technology is run by natural gas and saves energy by 25 to 30 per cent. We will file detail report on it,” said Bharat Dawada, Cluster Manager of TERI.

He said, “The Japanese company will provide three gasifire machines to the Rajkot foundry which cost around Rs 45-50 lakh each. But as it is a pilot project, the foundry units need not to pay any cost. The company technicians will come and install it and subsequently train the local people for operating the same.”

TERI is currently in the process of identifying foundry and the installation process will start soon. Dawada added, “We are exploring demonstration of energy efficient technologies and practices from Japan in gas-based cooling and heating and electric induction furnace especially in medium scale factories under this project. This workshop is to generate awareness about these energy efficient technologies for local SME units. Rajkot, an engineering and automobile ancillary industry cluster, has about 450-500 foundry units with a total turnover of about Rs 1,500 crore per annum.