Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, has commissioned projects aggregating 5 MW of grid-connected solar at the Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant premises in Vizag. The projects were developed on a Build Own Operate (BOO) basis at a cost of about Rs.330 million (~$4.86 million).

Many government-owned entities, like ports and airports, have harnessed solar energy to cut down carbon emissions; the Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant is now one among them, said an RINL official.

The solar projects are expected to achieve a net minimum guaranteed power generation of 8,000 MWh at the end of first year. The RINL had issued a tender for this project in 2015. Jakson Engineers had won the EPC contract to set up the project, stated the RINL official.