Rlys’ solar power project chugs off

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 7

The Railways has started the process of harnessing solar power through roof-top plants at railway stations and buildings to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and conventional sources of electricity.

Sources said all railway zones and manufacturing units, except two in the North-East and one in the western region, and some factories had issued tenders for the work this month. Most of these are scheduled to be opened later this month, while the remaining in March.

Northern Railways, which covers the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh, has the highest potential of solar power generation, pegged at 5,000 KW. The potential of other zones range between 750—4,000 KW. A total of 50 MW capacity has been identified all across the country for the first phase.

The work to be undertaken includes design, manufacture, supply, erection and testing of solar photo-voltaic projects, including their operation and maintenance for 25 years, at railway stations under the public-private partnership model.

In accordance with provisions of the Rail Budget last year, the Railway Board had issued a letter in November 2015 that called for solar power plants to be installed on available rooftops from investments by developers through a long-term power purchase agreement for 25 years at a fixed tariff as arrived through open bidding.