Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport becomes the first in country to run on hydro and solar power

New Delhi: Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi has become the first airport in the country to run on hydro and solar power for its consumption needs since June 1. Operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) stated on Wednesday stated that the airport will be entirely running on the combination of these forms of green energy.

Moreover, in 2015, the Cochin International Airport in Kerala emerged as the first airport in the world to operate entirely on solar energy.

According to DIAL, as the IGI is operating on the combination of hydro and solar power, most of it is dependent on hydro. The airport has taken this initiative to achieve the ‘Net Zero Carbon Emissions Airport’ target by 2030, informed DIAL.

Reportedly, from June 1, around 6% of the airport’s electricity requirement is coming from on-site solar power plants, and the remaining 94% is coming from a hydropower plant.

“The solar plants are on the airside and roofs of the cargo terminals of the IGI airport. For hydropower, DIAL has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with a Himachal Pradesh-based hydropower producing company for the supply of hydroelectricity to the airport until 2036,” said a DIAL spokesperson.

The Delhi airport constitutes a 7.84 MW solar power plant on the airside, whereas another 5.3 MW rooftop solar power plant is added at the cargo terminal recently as a part of stakeholder collaboration.

The use of renewable energy at the airport is expected to help in reducing energy emissions by 2 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, said the operator. The airport has announced last year in November of its aim to achieve the ‘Net Zero Carbon Emissions Airport’ target by 2030.

“DIAL has been working relentlessly towards environmental sustainability and has set its target to make Delhi Airport a Net Zero Carbon Emission airport by 2030, way ahead of the global target of 2050. To achieve this, DIAL adopted a green transportation program recently and now achieved another milestone in the green energy program for IGI airport. Delhi airport has been using solar power for a long time and it is now fulfilling its major electricity needs from a hydropower plant. Running Delhi airport completely on renewable sources of energy is indeed a major milestone achieved by DIAL,” said CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar.

Other green initiatives at the airport include green buildings, green transportation measures such as electric vehicles, improving operational efficiency to reduce emissions, and management of greenhouse gases (GHG) as part of the Airport Council International’s (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation.