Xero Carbon

Delhi Airport becomes the second airport in India to completely be dependent on renewable sources of energy for its source of power. The first airport to get this tag in the year 2015 was the Cochin International Airport, which completely runs on Solar Power.

But for the Indira Gandhi Internation Airport in New Delhi, it’s just not Solar but a combination of Solar and Hydro. The distribution will be 6% Solar and 94% Hydro. The solar power will be sourced from the airside solar plants and on the roofs of the cargo terminals. As for the remaining 94% is concerned, DIAL or the Delhi International Airport Limited has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with a Himachal Pradesh-based power-producing company for the supply of hydroelectricity to the airport till 2036.

DIAL is the body that manages the operations of the Delhi International Airport. It is a joint venture consortium among GMR Group (4%), Airports Authority of India (26%), Fraport AG(10%) and Eraman Malaysia (10%). It is also to be noted that the Delhi Airport is the first airport in India to get the LEED(Leadership Energy and Environment Design) Gold Rating. LEED is a green building certification program run by the United States Green Building Council.

DIAL looks to make the Delhi Airport a Net Zero Carbon Emission airport by 2030. Net Zero simply means to reduce carbon emissions as close to zero and absorb any excess emissions from the atmosphere. Shifting gears to renewable sources is a great step forward and more such airports and institutions should look forward to transitioning to renewable sources for their power needs.

Back in November 2021, Prime Minister Modi mentioned that the proposed Noida Airport will be Net-Zero. Authorities all over the world are on a mission to decarbonise airports. 35 airports around the world are Carbon Neutral currently, with the latest airport to be on the list being the Helsinki Airport. The Roland Garros airport on the island of Reunion is constructing the world’s first ‘bioclimatic’ airport which uses wind to cool the airport rather than air conditioning.

Now coming back to the Delhi Airport, the new plan will help reduce 2,00,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. In the past, DIAL introduced 1000 taxi bots for taxiing aircraft from terminal gates to the take-off points(taxi out phase) and returning the aircraft from the landing point to the terminal gates(taxi in phase). These initiatives are great milestones to reduce emissions and build a sustainable future. It’s now an onus on other airports in the country to follow suit and get decarbonised!