Maruti Suzuki goes green; to invest Rs 24 crore to set up 5 MW solar plant at Gurugram

Maruti Suzuki goes green; to invest Rs 24 crore to set up 5 MW solar plant at Gurugram

Maruti Suzuki plans to offset CO2 emissions to the tune of over 5,390 tonnes annually, for the next 25 years; the annual output of this solar power plant will be 7,010 MWH

Maruti generates 95 per cent of its total energy from cleaner and renewable sources

Maruti Suzuki India, the country's largest car maker, on Wednesday said it would invest around Rs 24 crore to set up a 5 MW solar power plant at the Gurugram facility to harness solar power to meet its energy needs. The plant will complement the power generating capability at the manufacturing plant.

"The company recently laid the foundation stone for a 5 MW Solar Power plant at the Gurugram facility. The captive Solar Power plant is expected to be commissioned in FY 2019-20," Maruti Suzuki India said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The annual output of this solar power plant will be 7,010 megawatt-hours (MWH).

This is Maruti's second grid based solar power plant. The company had established the first solar plant in 2014 at Manesar, with 1 MW capacity. In 2018, this plant was further expanded to 1.3 MW.

The New Delhi-headquartered firm plans to offset CO2 emissions to the tune of over 5,390 tonnes annually, for the next 25 years.

The car maker said that the power generated from the solar power plant will be synchronised with the captive power plant to meet the internal energy needs of the Gurugram facility.

According to the company, the photovoltaic solar panels of this carport style solar power plant will work as a roof at the new car parking area. While the solar panels generate clean energy, the cars parked underneath will be safe from strong climatic conditions, it said.

Commenting on the development, Kenichi Ayukawa, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, "Solar energy is abundant, versatile and efficient. This Solar Power initiative is in line with the Company's philosophy to adopt environment friendly technologies and lower CO2 emissions. Through this solar power plant facility we will harness renewable energy for our business needs over next 25 years. Maruti Suzuki is committed to expand its environment care initiatives in products, in manufacturing processes and in business operations."

Maruti generates 95 per cent of its total energy from cleaner and renewable sources. The energy requirement at the manufacturing facilities is met by natural gas-based captive power plant, supported by grid power, it said.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar