BPCL to set up 8.4 MW DC Solar Power Plant at Kochi Refinery

New Delhi: As part of its commitment towards climate stabilization and use of un-conventional energy, Fortune 500 Company Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has commenced activities to set up a 8.4 MW DC Solar Power Plant at the Kochi Refinery Campus. Ground breaking ceremony was conducted in the presence of Shri Ajith Kumar K, Executive Director (Kochi Refinery) and Shri Shelly Abraham, Head (BPCL Renewable Energy) 0n 26 August 2022.

The Solar Power plant will be spread across 25-acres of land at the Irumpanam side of Kochi Refinery. Once completed, the plant will generate about 123 lakh units of electricity annually. The produced electricity will be used for the Kochi Refinery.

Speaking on the development, Shri Ajith Kumar, Executive Director (Kochi Refinery) said, “This is another step towards enhancing the green energy capabilities of BPCL Kochi Refinery. We continue our path towards sustainability, energy conservation and production of green energy through roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar power projects. In 2018 we commissioned a roof-mounted 120 kWp solar power plant and we are increasingly pursuing solar energy options at our Refinery. Recently, we also won the award instituted by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power and Centre for High Technology and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for implementing ‘Best Energy Efficient Project’ under Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) Scheme.”

Shri Shelly Abraham, Head, BPCL Renewable Energy, spoke about how the Renewable Energy Business Unit of BPCL is pursuing to set up a number of solar power plants across the country. “Apart from Kochi Refinery, we are also looking at setting up such plants in our depots at Tadali, Badnera, Sanganer and Karur. We have established a separate Renewable Energy Business Unit last year to meet the aspirations of BPCL in the field of energy transition and to help in achieving BPCL’s aim of reaching Net Zero by 2040 in Scope 1 and 2 emissions. We are now exploring various opportunities to scale up the green energy portfolio of BPCL, including participating in power purchase tenders and studying the feasibility of setting up solar power projects at land banks owned by BPCL. A MoU was signed with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for leveraging their expertise in developing solar power projects,” he said.

BPCL has huge plans to build a strong renewable energy portfolio with an aim to achieve 1 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2025. The setting up of the solar power plant at Kochi Refinery is in line with these plans.

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