The Ministry of Shipping recently announced
that under the ‘Green Port Initiative’ a total of 136.5 megawatts of
renewable energy projects will be implemented at a dozen major ports in
the country. These include 91.5 megawatts of solar power and 45
megawatts of wind energy projects.
Some ports also have some solar power projects operational.
A total of 15.2 megawatts of solar power capacity has been implemented,
while 6 megawatts of wind energy capacity has also been commissioned.
According to the ministry, these renewable energy projects are expected
to offset 136,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. The
projects will also save around Rs 75 crore ($11 million) every year in
energy costs.
As per a reply
submitted by the Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan in
Parliament last year, the funds required for the development of solar
plants will be arranged by the ports from their own resources with no
contribution from the government.
The initiative would also offset the
cost of purchasing power from the grid and would help to meet the
Renewable Energy Purchase Obligation (RPO), set by the government,
mandating a certain percentage of renewables into the total energy mix.
Apart from sea ports, airports around
the country are looking to set up solar power projects as well. The
Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that as many as 143 airports across India are planning to set up a cumulative solar power capacity of 148 megawatts.
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