Ahmedabad, India, Jan 11, 2013 - (ACN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501, "Hitachi") today announced that a consortium comprising Hitachi and Hyflux Ltd. (the "Consortium") signed Water Purchase Agreement ("WPA") concerning water supply volume, price and other details with Dahej SEZ Ltd. ("DSL"), the management company of the Dahej Special Economic Zone ("Dahej SEZ") in Gujarat, the Republic of India ("India"), in relation to a seawater desalination project (the "Project") in Dahej SEZ. Going forward, the Consortium intends to obtain environmental assessment approval and meet other requirements to successfully implement the Project.

The Project will see the Consortium construct a seawater desalination plant in an industrial park within Dahej SEZ in Gujarat and provide a stable supply of industrial water over a period of 30 years (including the construction period). The Project is one of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Projects being promoted jointly by the Japanese and Indian governments, involving the construction of industrial parks between Delhi and Mumbai (approximately 1,500 km) utilizing private sector capital.

This Project has been reviewed for its commercialization feasibility under the "Feasibility study of smart community business in global markets" and is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This feasibility study was conducted following a joint statement issued at the Japan-India Annual Bilateral Summit held in December 2009, in which Japan pledged to contribute to the construction of a model of energy saving and low carbon smart community. The Consortium has advanced discussions with DSL since signing Co-Developer Agreement with DSL in March 2012.

The Consortium has signed the WPA, agreement with DSL for the supply of industrial water to industrial parks within Dahej SEZ in Gujarat. This agreement includes the water supply volume (336,000 m3/day), the water supply period (30 years, including construction period), the water supply price and purchasing conditions for DSL. The Consortium will conduct discussions toward the final agreement with DSL planned for around fall 2013, after obtaining environmental assessment approval and achieving the financial close.

Mr. Hiroaki Nakanishi, the President of Hitachi, Ltd. said "I am extremely pleased that the Consortium has signed the WPA with DSL regarding the seawater desalination project. Hitachi will work closely with Hyflux to successfully implement the Project, in order to facilitate the use of water resources in Dahej SEZ in Gujarat."

About Hitachi in India

Hitachi started its business in India in the 1930's. Currently, Hitachi has 30 business bases and approximately 6,800 employees in India. In addition to being a leader in the air-conditioning systems and construction machinery, the Hitachi Group in India is expanding on its 'Social Innovation Business', such as information & telecommunication systems, power systems, industrial, transportation and urban development systems. Together with further localization, Hitachi aims to contribute to a sustainable society in India as well as the country's economic growth. For more information about the Hitachi Group in India, please visit the website at http://www.hitachi.co.in.

About Hitachi

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2011 (ended March 31, 2012) consolidated revenues totaled 9,665 billion yen ($117.8 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com/.

Hyflux

Hyflux is one of the world's leading fully-integrated water solutions companies, with operations and projects in Southeast Asia, China, India, the Middle East and North Africa. Hyflux is committed to providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions in seawater desalination, water recycling, wastewater treatment, including membrane bioreactor (MBR) and potable water treatment. Hyflux's track record includes Singapore's first water recycling plant and first seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant and China's largest SWRO desalination plant in Tianjin City. The company is building the world's largest SWRO desalination plant in Magtaa, Algeria. Hyflux has also been awarded Singapore's second and largest SWRO desalination plant which will be developed on a design, build, own and operate model. For more information, please visit www.hyflux.com.

Source: Hitachi

Contact:

Hitachi Ltd
Corporate Communications
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