Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announces the invitation of bids for the supply of 500 million units (MUs) of renewable energy annually to power its operations in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), marking a significant step towards increasing its reliance on clean energy, officials said on Sunday.
DMRC is interested in contracting a solar power developer to build a grid-connected captive generating plant and a battery energy storage system (BESS) in any location in India. The generated energy will be delivered on a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and the project will be delivered in 15 months after the award. The project contributes to the overall clean and green activities by DMRC.
At present, DMRC supplies renewable energy to approximately 33% of its total power needs, purchasing around 350 MUs per year of renewable energy at the Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh and producing 40 MUs of renewable energy through rooftop solar installations on its stations, depots and residential colonies. Whereas, the proportion of renewable energy is close to 65 in daytime operations. Through the new project, DMRC expects to achieve a higher proportion of renewable energy in its total power mix, more than 60 percent, with energy requirements to serve its pending Phase IV network expansion. In case it is successful, DMRC will be the first metro system in India to power over half of its total energy using clean sources.
The developer that will be assigned the responsibility to commission the plant will do so within the required 15 months following the award date. The 25-year PPA will provide a long-term and sustainable energy source of clean energy to run DMRC.
This initiative is in line with the “Panchamrit plan of the Government of India, which is a 5-fold framework of climate action announced in COP26. DMRC is also making efforts to achieve national objectives of cutting carbon emissions and expanding non-fossil fuel sources of energy by focusing on renewable energy and investing in energy storage.
The representative photographs feature rooftop solar systems on metro stations, solar plants on metro stabling yards and the Rewa Solar Power Plant, which highlights that DMRC is currently pursuing sustainable urban transport and the adoption of clean energy.





