Rooftop Solar Push On Coal Turf

The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) on Friday commissioned 1.23 MW of rooftop solar power plants across its corporate area buildings at Kothagudem, marking another step in the coal miner’s expansion into renewable energy alongside its thermal business.

Dr Buddha Prakash Jyoti, chairman and managing director of SCCL, inaugurated the plants at a function at the Singareni Head Office and formally connected a 100 kW segment on the main office building to the grid. The new rooftop systems have been installed on various company buildings within the Singareni Corporate Area complex at Kothagudem.

Speaking after the inauguration, Dr Buddhaprakash said SCCL, long known as a coal-producing company, was now making its mark in thermal as well as solar and floating solar power generation. He noted that, as an eco-friendly measure alongside coal and thermal operations, the company had already installed 245.5 MW of solar capacity at vacant sites across its premises. In line with directions from the central and Telangana governments, more solar projects would be set up to help meet national and state energy requirements, he added.

The CMD said he was particularly pleased to commission the 1.23 MW of rooftop solar on corporate buildings, underscoring the shift towards using company infrastructure for clean power. The event was attended by directors L.V. Suryanarayana (Operations), K. Venkateswarlu (Projects & Planning) and M. Thirumala Rao (E&M), besides senior GMs, union leaders from AITUC and INTUC, CMOAI representatives and other officials and employees.