New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has invited bids for the supply of 500 million units of renewable energy each year to power its operations, officials said on Sunday, reports The Hindu businessline.
DMRC is looking for a “solar power developer” to build a grid-connected captive generating plant along with a battery energy storage system (BESS) anywhere in India. The energy produced will be supplied to the Metro under a 25-year power purchase agreement, with the project expected to be completed within 15 months of award.
Currently, Delhi Metro meets about one-third of its power needs from renewable sources. It procures around 350 million units annually from the Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh and generates 40 million units from rooftop solar installations at its stations, depots, and residential complexes. During daytime operations, renewable energy already accounts for nearly 65% of its consumption.
With this new initiative, DMRC aims to raise the share of renewable energy in its overall power mix to over 60%, including requirements for the upcoming Phase-IV network. “If achieved, it will become the first Metro system in India to source more than half of its total energy from clean sources,” officials said.
The move is part of DMRC’s wider efforts to support India’s transition to sustainable, low-carbon urban transport and align with the government’s ‘Panchamrit’ climate action targets announced at COP26.
