Railways to import crude oil, install solar power plants to reduce operating costs
Indian railways consume more than 2.8 billion litres of diesel per year with an approximate cost of Rs.18,000 crore, while the transporter purchases about 17.5 billion units of electricity and spends nearly Rs.12,300 crore. The DollarBusiness Bureau The Railways are toying with the idea of harnessing solar energy to meet its power needs. The government intends to bring down its railway operating costs by importing crude oil and obtaining refining capacity from oil marketing companies over the next five years. This initiative, as the railways senior officials call it, would ensure cost optimisation. Cutting down on diesel inventories has already resulted in the railways saving about Rs.2,000 crore and is likely to add to the savings generated from direct purchase of ...
