To boost the green energy production, Indian Railways is working with various stakeholders to set up solar plants along with railway tracks and its vacant land.
With railways having more than 53,000 hectares lands, the national transporter has developed a mega plan for installing solar plants of 20-GW capacity by utilising its vacant land by 2030, said an official in the national transporter.
"With the ambitious plan of achieving 100 per cent electrification for railways by the year 2023, Indian Railways' energy consumption is set to become more than 33 billion units by 2030 from its current annual requirement of about 21 billion units. The railways wants to draw the energy from solar plants in its properties," said the official.
When Railway Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with various stakeholders on the proposal on Thursday, several companies expressed willingness to participate in the project and also promised to supply power at a cheaper rate, said the official.
The railways already successfully operating a pilot project by setting up 1.7-MW capacity with direct connectivity to a 25-KV traction system in its vacant land at Bina in Madhya Pradesh.
In addition, a solar plant of 3-MW capacity has also been commissioned at the Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli for non-traction applications. Further, two more projects -- one of 2-MW capacity at Diwana and another of 50-MW capacity at Bhilai -- for connectivity with the State Transmission Utility (STU) and Central Transmission Utility (CTU) respectively are in progress, a statement from the railways said.
These solar projects, besides supplying power to the railways at a reduced tariff, will also protect the land by the construction of a boundary wall along the track, said the statement.
During the interaction with the stakeholders, Goyal pointed out that the railways is willing to extend all support to the developers for installing solar power plants on its vacant land. Boundary walls along the tracks will be constructed and maintained by the developers, which will also help prevent trespassing on the railways' properties, the statement said.
The setting up solar plants is in line with the railways' target of going to become a 'net zero' carbon emitter by 2030 through various initiatives, including electrification of broad gauge and increasing use of renewable energy, said the official.