Jindal Stainless Plans 27 MW Rooftop Solar at its Facilities

Steel giant Jindal Stainless has announced that it will install solar power panels of over 27 MW at its facilities to further the cause of decarbonisation of its industrial processes. Jindal said that its two rooftop solar plants will be: 21 MWp capacity at Jajpur unit (Odisha) and 6 MWp capacity at Hisar unit (Haryana).

Jindal Stainless has already identified the roofs of various shop floors in both of its factories for solar system installations. The rooftop solar will cost the company Rs 120 crores.

Jindal Stainless said that both rooftop solar projects will be completed by March 2024. The company expects the entire rooftop solar project will produce about 795 million units of electricity over a lifespan of 25 years.

The rooftop solar installations will also the firm save 108 acres of land were an equivalent  sized ground mounted solar built for it.

Abhyuday Jindal, Managing Director, Jindal Stainless, said, “This is an important step towards achieving our Net Zero target. Solar rooftop plants are a great alternate source of energy in a tropical country like ours. Jindal Stainless is known across the globe for its product stewardship. Our aim is to make sure that our growth stems from finest sustainable practices that revolve around social upliftment, good governance, decarbonisation, waste management, and digitalization.”

Jindal Stainless said that it is already striving to achieve its Net Zero carbon emissions through renewable energy solutions. It claims to be India’s first stainless steel company that has installed a Green Hydrogen Plant at its Hisar facility.

Jindal Stainless has entered into a deal recently with the largest renewable energy provider of India – ReNew Power – to establish a utility-scale captive renewable energy project for the delivery of electricity to their factory in Jajpur, Odisha. The project is expected to produce 700 million units annually through a combination of solar and wind technologies.

Pressure on energy intensive firms to ‘green up’ operations by more use of renewable energy besides higher energy efficiency is expected to increase, besides the need for captive power generation plants being required to follow Renewable Purchase Obligations too.

Leading steel producers besides Jindal are already on their way to comply with the requirements, and in some cases, go beyond them.