Bina Solar Plant And Mission Electrification Of Indian Railways Shortlisted For Major Global Awards

Indian Railways Mission Electrification and Solar Energy directly feeding 25 AC traction system in Indian rail network at Bina have been shortlisted for the UIC International Sustainable Railway Awards (ISRA) 2022.

The International Union of Railways (UIC), a Paris-based organisation, recognises railway projects and initiatives driving social (‘people’), environmental (‘planet’) and economic (‘prosperity’) sustainability.

The awards are part of UIC’s vision for the future of rail, celebrating and sharing worldwide best practice and promoting growth in the sector.

While Indian Railways Mission Electrification has been nominated in the category of Best Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience, solar energy directly feeding 25 AC traction systems in Indian Railways has got shortlisted in the Best Use of Zero-Carbon Technology section.

The ambitious Mission Electrification is a flagship programme of Indian Railways, the Bina Solar Plant, a first-of-its-kind energy project, which feeds directly into railway overhead equipment (OHE) for running electric trains.

Besides, Indian Railways Solar energy directly feeding 25 AC traction system, the Line 16 project, Sao Paulo Metro and Zero-carbon challenge 2050, East Japan Railway Company (JREast) are shortlisted in the Best Use of Zero-Carbon Technology category.

The major consumption of electricity in the Indian Railways is for running of electric trains. However, till sometime back electricity generated from solar panels was not used for running of electric trains. Now with the joint efforts of Indian Railways and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), the Bina solar plant is generating electricity solely for running trains.

Bina Solar Plant is successfully commissioned and acting as a proof of concept for Indian Railways for future implementation of such solar plants all over India.

Planet Voyages, French National Railways (SNCF) and Energy Management Committee: development and implementation of control systems, signalling and trains in Sao Paulo Metro are other shortlisted entries in the Best Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience segment.

With the aim of reducing carbon footprint to protect the environment, the national transporter has set a target of 100 per cent electrification of its network by December 2023.

Currently the railways has covered 48,534 km route out of the total 64,689 km with electrification.

The South Eastern zone and West Central zone have achieved 100 per cent electrification. Long-distance, regional and urban passenger and freight rail operators, infrastructure owners and managers and national and local governments were among those eligible to enter work completed or implemented between 1 January 2020 and 31 October 2021 inclusive for the UIC awards.

An expert jury of leading figures from the railways and other sectors, headed by co-presidents Christian Kern, Former Federal Chancellor of Austria, and Lucie Anderton, UIC’s head of Sustainable Development, reviewed and evaluated entries from around the globe and met online to compile the shortlists.

The final winners will be announced at a gala ceremony hosted by UIC on the evening of 1 June 2022 in Berlin. The awards will be held in parallel with the 11th International Railway Summit and build on the summit’s reputation for bringing together international railway leaders and sharing world-class innovative ideas.