The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is all set to
become the first solar-powered airport in the country
Cochin International airport is one of India's fastest growing airport in terms of passenger traffic. The rise in passenger traffic has led the officials to construct a new terminal in the airport. The officials also has a vision of power neutrality through installation of utility scale Solar PV power plants and eight mini hydro power projects.
As part of
the vision, the work on upgrading the existing 1 megawatt solar power
plant to produce additional 14 megawatt solar energy is progressing at a
cost of Rs 55 crore (USD 8.5 million). Bosch was selected as the EPC company for the project and they are expected to complete the installation within three months.
With the new solar power project, CIAL will have a capability to generate 50K KwH to 60K KwH units
of power in a daily basis. Currently, the airport requires around 50K Kwh units of
power per day and through this project the CIAL is aiming to achieve power
neutrality. The project is being implemented in a manner that it can be further expanded based on the further requirement of the airport.
CIAL investing in hydro
Apart from the investments in the solar power, CIAL Infrastructure Limited is planing to set up eight small hydroelectric power
stations with a total capacity of 44MW. Once this project is completed, the CIAL plans to sell the surplus energy to Kerala State Electricity Board.
