Indian Railways to invest Rs 180 bn on solar power units along tracks

22 Jan 2019 Editorial Team

The Indian Railways is reportedly in plans to come up with solar power tenders of 4 GW in order to cut down on its power purchase costs and utilise the vast stretches of linear land along the tracks with greater efficiency.

The bid are expected to be open up business opportunities of about Rs 180 billion for domestic solar industry consisting of equipment makers and plant installers. The tenders, which will be invited by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), is expected to be issued in two tranches of 2 GW each to be built across 10 states. Reviewed by FE, the framework document for the project reportedly proposes that the first tranche would be for solar plants in Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal, Haryana and Rajasthan while the remaining capacity would be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

At present, the railways requires 16 billion units of electricity every year and spend around Rs 100 billion on electricity every year with the average per unit cost being around Rs 6 per unit.

Railways pays tariffs as high as Rs 10.52 per unit, Rs 9.13 per unit and Rs 8.33 per unit in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan, respectively.

The 4 GW project would need developers to build 1.2 GW of domestic solar manufacturing capacity. The projects would be reportedly designed to use the transmission system built for railway traction.

Infrastructure Urban

03 Nov 2025

Vice-President Backs Global Unity at IN-STEP 2025

Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, addressed delegates at the 3rd edition of the International Strategic Engagement Programme (IN-STEP) held at the Vice-President’s Enclave in New Delhi. IN-STEP serves as a key dialogue platform for senior national security officers from India and friendly foreign nations. The current edition hosts 44 delegates, including 32 international participants representing 24 Global South countries. Commending the joint efforts of the National Defence College, National Security Council Secretariat, Ministry of External Affairs, and Ministry of Defen..

India to Host Global Maritime Events in Visakhapatnam

India will host three major international maritime events in February 2026 at Visakhapatnam — the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026, Exercise MILAN 2026, and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs. Scheduled from 15 to 25 February 2026, this marks the first time India will conduct all three significant maritime gatherings simultaneously. The events embody Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s MAHASAGAR vision — Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions — announced in 2025. The MAHASAGAR framework extends India’s SAGAR (Security and ..

Heavy Industries Ministry Frees 4.4 Million Sq Ft Under SCDPM 5.0

Inspired by the Prime Minister’s vision to institutionalise Swachhata and clear long-pending matters, the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), along with its Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and Autonomous Bodies (ABs), actively participated in the fifth consecutive year of the Special Campaign for Disposal of Pending Matters (SCDPM) 5.0, held from 2 to 31 October 2025. Throughout the campaign, MHI worked closely with the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, reporting daily progress on a dedicated monitoring portal. Shri Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma, Minister..