Centre to tap 6,500 acres of surplus port land for green energy

The Centre has identified 6,500 acres of surplus land at 12 major ports across the country to develop solar and wind power projects that will create new revenue streams and generate more green energy, according to reports.

These 12 major ports have already transitioned to renewables to meet their own energy requirements, Mint reported quoting officials. The surplus land will be used to generate green energy for commercial use, they said.

The officials said a parliamentary standing committee had given its nod to the plan and suggested the government allocate more land for developing such renewable energy projects.

In August, the Centre had announced the Green Port Initiative in which it said major ports would acquire equipment for monitoring environmental pollution, dust suppression systems and set up sewage and waste water treatment plants. The government had also announced setting up projects for energy generation from renewable energy sources as part of the Green Port Initiative.

According to the committee, ports would use large vacant tracts of lands to implement the Green Port Initiative. The initiative will not just ensure an efficient way of using space, but also generate income from the sale of energy which can be used to further augment the ports.

A typical solar installation requires four acres of land to generate 1 megawatt (MW) of green power. It is, therefore, expected that 6,500 acre would produce more than 1,600MW of energy, Mint reported. The land requirement varies for wind energy as it is dependent on the type and size of rotors. Large turbine blades require less land and yield higher output.

The government said 110,000 hectares available with major ports along India’s coast can be used to develop solar and wind projects that will make green energy cost-competitive. Although it is unclear how the projects will be set up, the Centre is mulling setting up special purpose vehicles (SPVs) through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

These initiatives will help profitable Indian ports make investments in non-port activities that will help reduce carbon emissions, the officials said. In September, ports committed to reducing carbon emissions per tonne of cargo handled by 30 percent by 2030.

The Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways did not respond to queries on the project.