GE plans JV for hybrid trains in India

State-run power utility Bharat Heavy Electricals, General Electric and Indian Railways plan to invested Rs 1,000 crore ($201 million) to establish a joint venture to produce diesel-electric hybrid locomotives for Indian Railways.

Indian Railways asked for bids to produce 1,000 hybrid locomotive cars, and GE was the sole bidder. If the deal is approved, a factory is planned for Marhoura, Bihar, with an initial capacity to manufacture 120 locomotives a year.

GE Locomotive is designing the hybrid train, which is said to capture energy dissipated during braking and store it in batteries to be used later. The design could reduce fuel consumption by 15 percent and emissions by 50 percent, the company said (see GE shows first hybrid road locomotive). The locomotive is expected to save a year's worth of fuel over its lifetime.

Bharat's other cleantech projects include a clean-coal plant in Vijaywada (see India to build clean coal plant in Vijaywada).

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