Water Metro Going Green; Betting Big on Solar Power

The initiative is in line with KMRL's plan to go carbon neutral by 2030

- Krishna Kumar K E @Kochi

In a major push for sustainable transportation, the Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) has embarked on an ambitious project to set up a solar farm at Purakkad, in Alappuzha, besides implementing rooftop solar-panel systems at its terminals and buildings.

This is in line with the ambitious plan of the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), its parent, to go carbon neutral by 2030.

"We've identified 90 acres of land in Purakkad. We expect the revenue department to hand over the land soon. The plan is to set up a CIAL-model solar farm that will produce 17 MW of power daily. Once we start generating electricity, we will enter into a trade off with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) through its power grid scheme, whereby an equivalent amount to power will be made available in Kochi to fuel the entire water metro fleet," Sajan P John, chief operating officer (COO) of KWML, told TNIE.