Kochi airport to be power-positive with new solar plant

01 Mar 2022 CW Team

Cochin International Airport which is the world's first airport to be powered by solar energy will now become power positive through the commissioning of their new solar power plant near Payyanur, Kannur district, Kerala.

On Sunday, CIAL Managing Director S Suhas said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the solar power plant of 12 MWp on March 6.

In a press release, CIAL said that the power plant has a capacity of 12 MW spread across 35-acre land. This is where CIAL introduced the concept of terrain-based installation in which the geographical characteristics are retained while no changes are made in the gradient of the land.

The cumulative installed capacity of CIAL’s solar plants, with this new plant, is now increased to 50 MWp.

The solar plants of CIAL together generate power of two lakh units every day. And the daily power consumption of the airport stands at 1.6 lakh units.

With the new project, CIAL takes a step forward from the current status of a power-neutral airport to being a power-positive airport.

CIAL was focused on the establishment of the plant through retention of the gradient of the land. This means it can accommodate 35% extra solar panels. This will later help in the generation of more energy. Furthermore, the carbon footprint will be reduced by approximately 28,000 metric tonnes per year.

In 2015, the airport was the first in the world to be completely powered by solar energy.

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