Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation for 5 MW solar power plant at VOC Port here through videoconferencing from Coimbatore.
VOC Port has taken up installation of grid connected to the 25-acre power plant at a cost of ₹20 crore and the project is expected to be completed by August.
The plant is estimated to generate 80.64 lakh units (KWH) per annum, meeting 60% of the total energy consumption of the port. In addition, it will also aid in reducing the carbon footprint in its operations.
The VOC Port has been implementing various ‘Green Port’ initiatives and has already installed 500 KW rooftop solar power plant. Installation of another 140 KW rooftop solar project is in progress. The port has also initiated the process for setting up onshore wind farms along its long coastline. It has issued work order to National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) to prepare DPR for installing onshore and offshore wind turbines to harness wind potential on private-public partnership basis.
On implementation of all the projects, the port will become the ‘First Green Port’ of the country.
The Prime Minister also dedicated the eight-lane Korampallam bridge and rail overbridge near Tuticorin Thermal Power Station to the nation. The project was taken up at a cost of ₹42 crore as an initiative under the Union Government’s ‘Sagarmala’ programme.
The existing bridge and rail overbridge have been widened on either side to 8.5metres for a length of 277 metre and the existing road leading to the bridge to 10.30 metres for a length of 1.577 km.
At present, the VOC Port has only four-lane connectivity. The new project will facilitate full-fledged eight-laning of the approach road to the port and will facilitate seamless entry for time-sensitive cargo-laden container trucks from Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Madurai etc., bound for destinations across the globe.
Collector K. Senthil Raj and Chairman of VOC Port T.K. Ramachandran participated in the function organised here.