Hindalco to Invest $2.94 Billion in Copper Projects, Including India’s First E-Waste Recycling Plant

Hindalco's copper division is set to invest $2.94 billion (₹24,500 crore) across two major copper projects in Gujarat, including the establishment of India's first electronic waste (e-waste) recycling facility in Dahej, South Gujarat. The new facility will have an annual production capacity of 200,000 tonnes of copper, marking a significant step toward copper recycling in the country.

Rohit Pathak, CEO of Hindalco's Copper Business, highlighted that Phase-1 of the e-waste recycling project will recover 50,000 tonnes of copper. The plant is expected to process 300,000 to 350,000 tonnes of scrap and e-waste annually, producing copper along with precious metals such as silver and gold. The project’s initial investment is set at $240 million (₹2,000 crore), with plans to scale up fourfold in the coming years. Pathak emphasized that this initiative will help organize India’s scrap collection industry, further reducing the country’s reliance on imported copper concentrates.

Hindalco currently imports 1.3 million tonnes of copper concentrates annually, which contain approximately 25% copper. The new facility in Dahej, home to Birla Copper’s world-class copper smelter, aims to reduce dependence on these imports by recovering copper from electronic waste.

In addition to the Dahej plant, Hindalco is expanding its upstream copper production capacity by 250,000 to 280,000 tonnes to meet India's growing demand for copper, which represents a 50-60% increase.

Expansion in Vadodara: New Copper Tube Manufacturing Facility

Hindalco is also investing $55 million (₹450 crore) to build a copper tube manufacturing plant in Vadodara, which will produce copper tubes primarily for air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. The Waghodia-based plant is expected to produce 25,000 tonnes of copper tubes in Phase-1, with plans to expand capacity to 75,000 tonnes over time, requiring an additional $183 million (₹1,500 crore) investment.

The company is also developing special copper alloys, such as copper-silver and copper-magnesium, which are needed for high-speed rail projects requiring higher tensile strength and better conductive wires.