Indian Railways, USAID sign agreement to achieve net zero by 2030

New Delhi: To achieve the target of Net Zero Carbon emission by 2030, the Indian Railways inked agreement with United States Agency for International Development/India (USAID/India) here on Friday.

“The agreement has been signed for collaboration on Renewable energy and Energy Efficiency” said the Ministry statement. The effort is to reduce carbon footprint of Indian Railways in order to achieve Mission Net Zero Carbon Emission

The other aspects of agreement includes Long-term energy planning including clean energy for Indian Railways, Develop an Energy Efficiency Policy and Action Plan for IR Buildings, Planning for clean energy procurement to achieve Indian Railways’ net-zero vision.

It also help in technical support for addressing regulatory and implementation barriers, bid design and bid management support for system-friendly, large-scale renewable procurement and supporting Indian Railways in the promotion of e-mobility.

“Indian Railways is proactively working towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2030” said the Ministry statement.

The MoU was signed by Naveen Gulati, Member (Traction and Rolling Stock), Railway Board, Indian Railways and Ms. Isabel Coleman, Deputy Administrator, USAID, in the presence of Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board.

As per the Ministry, the projected energy demand of Indian Railways in 2029-30 is expected to be about 8,200 Mega Watt (MW).

To achieve Net Zero Carbon Emission, expected requirement of renewable capacity by 2029-30 would be about 30,000 MW.

As of February 2023, about 147 MW of solar plants (both on Rooftops and on land) and about 103 MW of Wind power plants have been commissioned. Further, about 2150 MW of renewable capacity has also been tied up.