Airports and renewable energy sources

India's airports are increasingly focusing on green and clean energy. Also, the ambition is to completely green fence, the Airport and leave no carbon footprint.

- RASHEED KAPPAN

Riding high on skyrocketing travel demand, India's civil aviation sector is anticipating a big surge in the supply of new aeroplanes and the rise of flashy new airports. But to keep those airfields and mega terminals running, the country needs energy in abundance. Thankfully, renewable sources are now finally scaling up, with over 80 airports nationwide running completely on green energy. Four big ones have already turned carbon neutral, and the trend is gathering pace.

Among the front-runners, the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru has become the first in Asia to attain Level 5 accreditation under the Airport Council International (ACI)'s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The accreditation is in recognition of the airport's achievement of net-zero status seven years ahead of the 2030 target. KIA had recorded an impressive 95.6% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions.

To tap the full potential of renewable energy sources, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) had inked an agreement in February 2024 with Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions (CleanMax). The deal is a 25-year long-term power purchase agreement to generate and supply renewable energy from a 45.9 MW solar-wind captive power plant, set up in a farm at Jagaluru in Karnataka. An annual supply of 58.3 million units of solar power and 31 million units of wind power has been projected from the plant.

Hari Marar, MD & CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), draws attention to another related project: “We have also introduced a fleet of 175 electric vehicles (EV) Airport Taxis, greatly contributing to our carbon emission reduction efforts. This represents a significant step towards reshaping the future of mobility, creating a lasting positive impact both within the Airport and the community around.”