CIAL ready to provide consultancy to member countries of ISA

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) Wednesday expressed its readiness to provide consultancy services to airports of the member countries of International Solar Alliance (ISA). As part of ISA's initiative to find out suitable models to be incorporated to achieve its plan of massive deployment of solar energy, a delegation consisting of 40 ambassadors/ high commissioners visited Cochin International airport today, a CIAL release said.

Cochin International airport, the world's first airport to be fully operated on solar energy, has been identified by ISA as one of the models. The visit will give a boost to CIAL's effort in taking its project to the next level, contributing globally as a consultant, the release said.

"CIAL would convene an international summit for the Managing Directors of the airports of members countries to decipher possibilities of repeating the CIAL model in the global level," ISA Director General Upendra Tripathy said. The high-profile delegation reached CIAL at 10 AM on Wednesday and held discussions with CIAL authorities.

"The company is all set to provide consultancy services to the member countries. We are glad to know that other countries are keenly interested in our solar model. We have no qualms in sharing with them the technical know-how of establishing solar power plants at their airports," V J Kurian, Managing Director of CIALsaid.

CIAL achieved power neutral status in August 2015 and won 'Champions of the Earth award' in 2018, the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations. At present CIAL's total installed capacity is 40 MWp producing 1.63 lakh unit of power a day, whereas the requirement stands at 1.53 lakh units.

The delegation comprised ambassadors/high commissioners of 25 African countries, including Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria and Tanzania and also from countries like France, Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, Bolivia and Sri Lanka. ISA is an alliance of 74 countries initiated by India and France and formed in 2015, sharing the ambition to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology and to mobilise more than the US $ 1000 billion of investments needed by 2030 for massive deployment of solar energy.