Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which has taken pioneering steps for sustainable energy production, will commission its hydroelectric project on November 6.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will dedicate the power generation facility to the nation at an online function at 11 a.m. on the day. CIAL has the distinction of being the only airport in the world to be run fully on solar power.
The run-of-the-river project across the Iruvazhinji river has an installed capacity of 4.5 MWp and can generate 14 million units of power a year. The power generated at the unit will be fed to the KSEB grid, said a communication from CIAL here on Sunday.
The hydroelectric unit at Arippara near Kozhikode was awarded to CIAL by the Government in keeping with the Kerala Small Hydro Power Policy under the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis for a lease period of 30 years. CIAL completed the project in September 2021, and the trial run began this month. CIAL purchased five acres from 32 residents for the project, the communication added.
The total cost of the project is ₹52 crore. The powerhouse will generate around 1.08 lakh units of power a day during peak flow days, and it is estimated that the plant could be operational in full capacity for 130 days in a year. The Arippara hydroelectric project is the biggest initiative after the airport achieved power neutrality in 2015.
“When the country is deliberating on power crisis, it is the leadership and guidance of the Chief Minister as chairman of CIAL which turned out to be decisive in speeding up the project implementation. We are sure that this will impart further momentum to set up hydro projects across the State, which has 44 rivers and numerous streams,” said CIAL managing director S. Suhas.
“The potential of renewable energy is immense. If we use our imagination, we can work to set up joint ventures to harness the sun, wind, and rushing streams,” he added as he recalled the role played by former CIAL managing director V.J. Kurien for the realisation of the project.
