Reading Time: 1 minutes
Sembcorp (Green Infra Wind Energy), has been awarded Railway Energy Management Company Ltd. (REMCL) the right to procure 50 MW wind power. Sembcorp won full capacity (50 MW) at a rate of Rs. 3.11 kWh.
Tariff-based bidding was used to determine the power consumption of Railways for Traction in Maharashtra.
Adani Renewable Energy had quoted Rs. 3.36, while Tunga Renewable Energy offered a tariff at Rs. 3.38. TEQ Green Power IX and Azure Power India were also part of the auction.
Piyush Goyal stated earlier this year that all India Rail Networks would be fully electrified in 2023, and powered by renewable energy by 2030.
Indian Railways announced in March that the Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli would soon be powered by solar energy. REMCL requested proposals for a rooftop solar project with a 14 MW grid connection.
The Central Railway (CR) also announced that it had started producing solar power at four additional locations, including Igatpuri Railway Hospital, Igatpuri Railway Station, Kasara Railway Station and Titwala Cabin. The total number of solar power generators at the CR now stands at 48 after the four new locations were opened. These 48 solar power generation sites will allow for a yearly production of green energy in CRs of up to 2.5million, which will reduce fuel costs by Rs 1.9 crore each year.
Indian Railways is currently working on a ambitious project to provide solar energy for nearly 7000 railway stations. Railway officials had earlier stated that Indian Railways has 121.47MW of rooftop solar capacity at 1,094 railway stations. Indian Railways plans to use rooftop solar at 7,000 stations.