After becoming the first carbon-neutral airport in the Asia Pacific region in 2016, the Delhi airport is about to reach another milestone. You will often see Delhi airport social media users using #GreenDEL in their posts. Well, it’s not just a hashtag. Delhi Airport believes in going the green road and has been working on it for a long time. And recently the airport was seen celebrating the achievement of a great sustainable movement. Delhi Airport, operated by GMR Group, is now the first airport in the country to be fully powered by hydroelectric and solar energy. DIAL calls it a milestone in becoming a zero-carbon airport by 2030.
The 2030 target
Indira Gandhi International Airport relentlessly maintains its sustainable goals. DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar reveals to PTI that they have an important goal to reach well ahead of the global 2050 target. Making Delhi airport a net zero carbon airport by 2030 is their ultimate goal. For this, DIAL recently signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a hydroelectric power company based in Himachal Pradesh. DIAL adopts the Green Energy Program to provide hydroelectricity to the airport until 2036. The airport’s old solar panels provide only about 6% of the electricity required. But the Green Power program will now meet the energy needs for the remaining 94% of the airport. The PTI report also reveals that DIAL says such renewable energy sources help reduce 2 million tons of carbon emissions. This makes it clear that its recent environmentally conscious steps are part of a broader agenda for 2030.
Delhi Airport also becomes the second Indian airport to run entirely on renewable energy
In 2015, Kerala’s Cochin International Airport became the first airport in the world to be fully solar powered. Since then, we have seen numerous airports working on their sustainable goals. And in 2022, Delhi Airport will achieve an important sustainability goal by becoming the second Indian airport to operate on renewable energy. However, IGI Airport is the first to use solar and hydroelectric power in India. After the IATA resolution of the 2050 target, going green is the need of the hour for airports in India. DIAL keeps pace with the global trend and setting a target before 2030 is commendable.
