Ministry of Railways has come up with Mission 41k to save Rs. 41000 crore in the next decade in Railways’ energy costs.
This target will be achieved by taking a slew of measures which include moving 90 per cent of traffic to electric traction over diesel. Presently, this is at 70 per cent of the total rail traffic.
The ministry plans to achieve this target by doubling the current pace of electrification.
The railways also aim to procure more and more electricity at cheaper rates through open market instead of sourcing it through DISCOMs and thereby hopes to save as much as 25 per cent on its energy expenses.
New technologies are also being explored to bring down electric consumption.
Railways are taking number of steps to reduce energy consumption by using various energy-efficient technologies.
To change energy mix towards Green Energy in a phased manner, Ministry of Railways plan to set up 1000 MW solar and about 200 MW wind plants.
