Railways centralises Power Scheduling to monitor Energy Bill

Railways centralises Power Scheduling to monitor Energy Bill

New Delhi: In a bid to reduce energy bill, Indian Railways today set up a centralised control room here to improve scheduling of power being procured by the public transporter. According to the Ministry of Railways, the centralised control room set up by REMCL (Railway Energy Management Company) will further improve scheduling of power being procured by Indian Railways as a deemed distribution licensee.

Railways has started drawing power as a deemed distribution licensee at a lower tariff in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and partly in Uttar Pradesh.

Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL), a joint venture of the Railways and RITES Limited, has been formed to draw power as deemed distribution licensee in several states viz.at a lower tariff in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and partly in Uttar Pradesh.

Railways has further contracted 585 MW power in Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan through open bidding at a much lower tariff in line with the budgetary announcement by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

Inaugurating the control room, Railway Board Member (Electrical) A K Kapoor, said these efforts will go in a long way to change the business as usual mode of availing power in Railways and in due course of time will lead to maximising the benefits on power tariffs. The control room has been setup by REMCL and it will allow scheduling of power close to its actual load requirements.

“Flow of power in these states is likely to commence shortly. This has already resulted into significant saving to railways and will continue to result in further savings,” the statement added.

“This move will make it possible to look into ways to further reduce the cost of power to railways by leveraging part power through exchange. It will also allow scheduling of power close to its actual load requirements,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to Railways, supply of power in these states is likely to commence shortly and this has already resulted into significant saving to the public transporter and will continue to result in further savings.