Come Onam and the civil station, Kakkanad, will run fully on solar power. Five companies have expressed interest for the tenders floated, according to District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth. “A meeting will be held to select the company to implement the project on Thursday,” he said. The Collector said only companies that could generate more than 50 watt of power were allowed to participate.
The District Administration will implement the 100-KV project for the Civil station with the help of ANERT, KSEB, and PWD (Electrical wing).
Currently, it is paying electricity charge to the tune of Rs 2 lakh per month. Pareeth said that the work would commence in a month’s time.
“If all goes as planned, the project will be ready for Onam. So will the parade ground,” he said.
Earlier,Rs 1.5 crore was granted for the project by the Rajiv Gandhi Urban Renewable Mission (RGURM). The fund was made available with the coordination of Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution K V Thomas with RGURM.
The amount also includes 31 percent government subsidy.
With the implementation of the project, Ernakulam civil station will be the first in the state to have a solar electric system. The solar panel to be installed on the roof covering 30,000 sqft will be operated only in the morning. According to an estimate taken a few months ago, the district administration had to pay arrears of Rs 25 lakh to Kerala State Electricity Board ( KSEB).
The actual bill was Rs 7 lakh for 2006 to 2008 period. But it rose to Rs 25 lakh when various departments of the district administration delayed the payment.
“The amount can be cut down once we go solar,” said Sheik Pareeth.