KOCHI: If all goes as per plan, Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium (JNIS) in Kochi will be the third solar-powered stadium in the country after Brabourne Cricket Stadium in Mumbai and M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.GCDA has proposed to install the solar panels at a cost of `4 crore. The project is to be implemented with the help of CIAL Infrastructure Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) which recently achieved the title of the world’s first solar-powered airport.
GCDA chairman V Salim told media persons on Thursday the plan was to generate one megawatt of power by installing solar panels on an area of 30,000 sq feet atop the stadium. “Space is not a constraint for GCDA to erect the solar panels. If we install the panels on the roof of the stadium, it can generate nearly 4 Mwp. But at present, we are planning to generate one Mwp with a project cost of around `4 crore. The CIAL has offered all the technical help to materialise the project,” said Salim, adding that through the project, the GCDA is aimed at producing 1.2 lakh units of power a month.
Salim added that JNIS would be a first of its kind in the state to have a solar-powered system and the third in the country. “At present, the stadium consumes around 3,7095 units of power every month. For this alone, GCDA is spending nearly `2.6 lakh a month. If the project is completed, we can generate nearly 1.2 lakh units a month. The 82,000 units can be transferred to KSEB which can help to earn a revenue of `2.6 lakh a month. We can reach the break-even point within seven years,” said Salim.
GCDA is planning to complete the project in another six months. “Discussion with CIAL is going on in full swing. The tender process will be started as per the technical specification of CIAL Infrastructure Ltd. A government sanction is inevitable to start the project. Soon it will be cleared and we hope the project would be completed within six months,” Salim said.
Blazing a dazzling trail
Project cost
A4croreExpected Production: 1 MWp
30,000 sq ftArea of solar panels
Consultant:
CIAL Infrastructure Ltd
Project expected to be completed by May 2020
Profit expected:
K 2.6 lakh a month