NEW DELHI, April 12: Delhi Airport today said it has more than tripled the capacity of its solar power plant to 7.84 MW from 2.14 MW in two years, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of harnessing renewable source of energy to fight climate change.
The move is expected to result in a saving of around Rs 12 crore annually for Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which runs the Indira Gandhi International airport here, the company said.
DIAL's current energy bill stands at a little over Rs 230 crore per annum.
The airport operator had commissioned the plant, which it claims was the first in the country executed in airside area of the airport, in January 2014 with an initial installed capacity of 2.14 MW.
"We strongly believe that the collaborative approach is the key strategic element for combating climate change. As part of our extensive sustainability strategy, we have taken various efficiency measures at Delhi Airport. These include various green infrastructure measures. The successful execution and expansion of solar power plant is part of such initiatives," DIAL Chief Executive Officer I Prabhakara Rao said.
He said DIAL aims to raise the capacity of the solar power plants to 20 MW by 2020.
The project, which is spread over 18 acres, has so far seen an investment of Rs 47 crore, he said.
"Power generated through solar power plant significantly supports the requirements of airport operations including of the domestic airport at Palam," DIAL Executive Vice President for Engineering and Projects, Sujit Nag, said.
He said the airport currently consumes around 220 million units per year, and the plans with enhanced capacity will generate 12 million units per annum.
"This translates into a saving of around five per cent in the total energy consumption or Rs 12 crore in the annual energy bill," he said.
-PTI
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