Cochin Port Trust has unveiled a slew of green initiatives under the Maritime India Vision 2030, aimed at shifting its operations completely to solar power by 2030.
The projects — which mirrors the green initiatives of nearby Cochin International Airport Ltd — include 100 per cent solar-powered cranes and shore-based solar power supply to all ships and vessels docking at berths in the Willingdon Island, Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal, Cochin Oil Terminal, north and south tanker berths as well as the LNG terminal.
M Beena, chairperson, Cochin Port Trust said that the port administration has finalised its plans to utilise vacant land or waterfront areas for solar power generation either under public-private-partnership (PPP) mode or other suitable methods.
Shore-based power
In the first phase, the plan is to provide shore-based power supply to cruise ships visiting Kochi. The port also proposes to install additional roof-top solar power plants of 350kWP capacity over the next two years and install grid-connected floating solar panels under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model.
Consumers will be encouraged to install solar power plants on their premises. Port users have already installed solar power plants of 190kWP capacity, and the Port Trust has generated 3.27 lakh units of electricity in 2020, resulting in a saving of ₹22.50 lakh in power charges.
Gainful utilisation
The port has also finalised a strategy for recycling/gainful utilisation of dredged materials. The segregation of dredged sand from silt and clay is being done without additional cost. The Port sold dredged sand of 2.20 lakh cubic meters and earned more than ₹12 crore during the April to December 2021 period. The port is also deploying dismantled materials for landfilling and land development after necessary processing of the materials.
To promote a green ecosystem in the maritime sector, several initiatives have been taken up by the major ports in line with the International Maritime Organization’s 2030 Decarbonization strategy and 2050 Greenhouse Gases strategy.
These initiatives seek to raise the share of renewable energy to more than 60 per cent across all major ports by 2030, setting up of solar power plants, availing of shore power supply to vessels via berths, multi-clean fuel adoption for vehicles within port ecosystem, gradual phasing out of diesel locomotives at ports, etc.
The government is also working on a ‘Green Port Policy’ document that suggests framework and guidelines for incorporation of green initiatives in the ports sector. The policy document captures the focussed areas, measured outcomes, implementation roadmap and cost recovery mechanism for the port operators and port authorities. The proposed target outcomes will help India in achieving the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) target, as well as that of the International Maritime Organization.
Source : The Hindu Businessline
