Digital Desk: According to airport operator Delhi International
Airport Limited (DIAL), Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport has
transitioned to hydro and solar power electricity as of June 1, making it the
country's first airport to be totally powered by renewable energy.
According to DIAL, this is a step toward the airport's objective
of being a "Net Zero Carbon Emissions Airport" by the year 2030.
Since June 1, about 6% of the airport's electrical needs have
been satisfied by on-site solar power plants, with a hydroelectric plant
providing the other 94% of the energy, according to the statement.
The IGI airport's airside and cargo terminal roofs are home to
solar power installations. A Himachal Pradesh-based hydropower producing
business and DIAL have a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the
provision of hydroelectricity to the airport until 2036, according to a DIAL
representative.
The airport features a 7.84 MW solar power plant on the airside,
and recently, as part of a stakeholder engagement, it constructed a second 5.3
MW rooftop solar power plant at the cargo terminal.
According to the operator, switching to renewable energy should
enable the airport to cut its annual energy emissions by 2 lakh tonnes of
carbon dioxide. The airport had declared its intention to become a Net Zero
Carbon Emission Airport by the year 2030 last year in November.
"DIAL has been steadfastly pursuing environmental sustainability, and it has set its sights on transforming Delhi Airport into a Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by 2030—well in advance of the global objective of 2050. To do this, DIAL recently launched a green transportation programme, and the green energy programme for IGI airport has already reached another milestone.
The Delhi Airport has long used solar energy, and it now
gets most of its electricity from a hydropower plant. A significant milestone
has been reached by DIAL in running Delhi Airport entirely on renewable energy,
according to CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar.
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