NEW DELHI: Union minister for railways Suresh Prabhu on Friday called for an audit of energy consumption in the Indian railways.
The minister had earlier ordered a water audit. Taking part in the green energy initiative of the government, Mr Prabhu on Friday also launched the formal process to set up the windmill farm of 26 Megawatt in Rajasthan which is the biggest renewable energy initiative by Indian Railways.
“The project is being set-up by Railway Renewable Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) which is a joint venture of Ministry of Railways and RITES Limited.
The project is meant for generating electricity for the captive consumption of Indian Railways,” said the railways in a media statement.
Mr Prabhu stated that the Railways is one of the biggest consumer of energy and, therefore, using even a small percentage of green energy will make a substantial difference.
“We, therefore, have to explore new and renewable sources of energy for our energy basket. There is a need to change the energy mix so that long term dependence on fossil fuel can be reduced,” said Mr Prabhu.
The minister also called upon the railways to undertake a comprehensive and structured energy audit so as to ensure the best and optimal utilisation of energy and also identify the energy saving potential.
“Indian Railways can take the help of Bureau of Energy Efficiency in this regard. This audit should be broken down to the lowest possible units so that expeditious actions can be taken.
We should harness solar energy also in a big way and design our stations and buildings in such a way that their local electricity needs can be met through solar system,” added Mr Prabhu.
