Mahanadi Coalfields to set up 50-MW solar plant in Odisha

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) will set up a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Odisha's Sambalpur district at a cost of Rs 301.92 crore as part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2024.

This project will reduce carbon dioxide emission by 91,020 tonnes per annum and carbon offsets of around 24,824 tonnes per annum, the public sector unit said in a release on Saturday.

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The Sambalpur-headquartered MCL has placed an order with a Chennai-based firm, which will establish this green energy project within 10 months.

The plant will cater to the captive power requirement of the MCL, which had earlier set-up a 2-MW solar power plant in Sambalpur in 2014.

The MCL has set a target of installing 182 MW of solar power by 2024 in order to become a net-zero energy company, aligning itself to use cleaner forms of energy for coal production.

The subsidiary of Coal India had earlier introduced environment-friendly surface miner technology, which contributes over 95 per cent in coal production.

As another environment-friendly initiative, the company has successfully introduced vertical rippers for blast-less over-burden removal in Hingula and Kaniha opencast projects.