To install 3GW solar capacity on vacant land for Railways

This Solar Project has a total of 3 phases of 1 GW each. The first and third phases will be on OPP basis and the second phase will be on REMCL's proprietary model

 

To further enhance India's reputation as a clean energy champion, the Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) will manage and control the power supply from the 3 GW  solar plant of India's vacant railway land.

In the Union Budget presented earlier this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to install large solar power capacity on the railway-owned land, along with the rail budget.

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The first and third stages of 1 GW will be under design, build, finance, operator and transfer model on each PCP basis. The second phase (1 GW) of the project will be on the REMCL-owned model, which will be eligible for capital withdrawal under the CPS investment scheme.

According to the statement of the company, The Railways already have identified appropriate areas for the establishment of this Solar Project."

REMCL is a subsidiary of state-run Transport Consultant RITES Limited; Out of which 51% is held by Indian Railways and the rest is with him.

The national carrier has a rail network of about 125,000 km, one of the world's largest under management. It also has large tracts of land with its network, which will be used to establish solar power generation capacity. Indian Railways plans to become a "pure zero" carbon alkali by 2030. India is the largest index of greenhouse gases after the US and China and is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

"In addition to handling REMCL Kotwai energy and energy efficiency projects, it is mandatory for Indian Railways to fully handle power procurement under open access." The statement said that REMCL is currently saving about 74% of the traction power of railways through the open accessory mechanism.

The plan already formulated will also help the national carrier to reduce its power purchase costs. With the requirement of around 12 billion units of electricity in a year, the electricity consumption of Indian Railways is increasing by an average of 5% per year. Railways plan to meet 10% of their electricity needs through renewable energy sources by 2020.

The Railways plan is important because India has 34.6 GW of solar power and 38GW of wind power, and is the largest clean energy program in the world.

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