All Women Team From Apraava Breaks New Ground By Running 100 MW Solar Plant

In a significant stride towards advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Apraava Energy put together an all women team to manage the morning shift operations at its 100 MW Veltoor solar plant in Telangana. The women did a more than competent job, driving home the possibility of more diversified hiring in the sector for other firms as well.

This initiative is one of the first of its kind in India and is part of Apraava’s broader focus on gender diversity, aimed at actively encouraging the inclusion of women engineers in its operational renewable assets. The all-women team brings a unique blend of skills, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving approaches, driving operational excellence and setting an inspiring example in the energy sector.

The team consists of four talented engineers— Dudimetla Tejaswini, Anusha Rudramuni, Indhusree Rudramuni, Koretha Suguna, each with a background in electrical and electronics engineering. They joined the Veltoor solar plant last year through Apraava Energy’s partner, Param Renewable Energy. Additionally, the plant operations are managed by two women engineers from Apraava – Jhaswini Kumari P and Mani Deepthi Meda.

“Our all-women team proudly symbolizes Apraava’s commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunity. On this International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our resolve to champion DEI and accelerate actions to empower women to thrive, excel, and lead in the renewable energy sector.” said Deepa Sebastian, Senior Vice President – HR, Apraava Energy.

Apraava Energy offers a robust development programme, including mentorship and comprehensive technical training. This enables the on-ground team to build practical and leadership skills, empowering them to manage critical operational responsibilities at the solar plant.

Indhusree Rudramuni, one of the women staff members, who works in tracker restoration, shared, “This is my first time working at a solar plant, and the hands-on experience has been truly enriching. It is a great opportunity to acquire new skills and a significant step towards my career growth in the rapidly advancing renewable energy sector.”

Founded in 2002, Apraava has evolved from being a single-asset business to an organisation spread across 13 states in India. Its portfolio comprises 3,394 MW of installed capacity which includes ~1200 MW of wind and 250 MW of solar energy projects, a 1320 MW coal-fired super critical power plant and two power transmission assets (~494 kms). In addition, four greenfield transmission projects (~500 kms of transmission lines and substations with over 10 GW of combined capacity), a wind project (300 MW) and three solar projects (600 MW) are under construction.

The company has also forayed into Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) business and is executing orders of ~6.8 million smart meters in Assam, Gujarat, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.