Jammu, Oct 5: To promote clean energy and reduce dependence on conventional electricity, the Northern Railway’s Jammu division is expanding its solar power infrastructure, bringing its total installed and planned capacity to 2.55 MW, officials said on Monday.
Solar plants with a combined capacity of 1,745 kWp (1.745 MW) are already operational at five major railway depots and premises in the division, including Jammu Railway Station and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Station, where a 1 MW solar plant has been installed, they said.
The division is now expediting work on 18 new solar plants with a combined capacity of 808 kWp. Once commissioned, the total solar generation capacity will rise to 2,553 kWp (2.55 MW), they said.
Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer Vishal Rathi said work on a new 450 kWp solar plant at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Station commenced on September 12 and is scheduled for completion by December 2026.
He said work on another 13 solar plants with a combined capacity of 358 kWp at Shaheed Captain Tushar Mahajan Udhampur Station would also commence soon.
The expansion is expected to help the division reduce carbon emissions, save lakhs of rupees annually in electricity expenditure, and lessen dependence on the conventional power grid.
Divisional Railway Manager Vivek Kumar said the initiative aimed to make railway operations cleaner and more sustainable.
“Our goal is not just to operate trains, but to take Indian Railways towards a clean, green and sustainable future. Every station of Jammu Division will be illuminated with solar energy in the coming times,” he said.
The solarisation drive is expected to support environmental protection while enabling the Railways to use electricity savings to improve passenger amenities, officials said.
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