A two-megawatt solar power plant set up on the premises of Autokast Ltd, a ferrous foundry manufacturing unit in the public sector, at Thiruvizha near Cherthala was made operational on Friday.
It was inaugurated by Industries Minister P. Rajeeve.
The ground-mounted plant, set up on 8.85 acre of land, can generate 8,000 units (kWh) of electricity daily. Solar power will help the cash-strapped Autokast save around Rs. 10 lakh per month on electricity bills.
According to Autokast officials, the solar plant is expected to reduce carbon emissions by about 2,450 tonnes annually. It was set up at Rs. 10.33 crore and has an expected life span of 25 years.
Autokast, a Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)-approved class ‘A’ ferrous foundry, is involved in the production of all grades of grey iron, ductile iron, and steel castings. It also produces Casnub bogies for freight wagons of the Indian Railways.
