Guwahati: The Northeast Frontier Railway is planning to make its other stations run on solar power after Guwahati railway station.

"We have taken stock of Guwahati railway station, which has been running on solar power for some time, and it has performed well," a senior NFR official said.

The official said solar panels have been put up on small-scale in some railway stations in the region.

"Plans are on for largescale installation in workshops and stations in the region as part of the green initiative. Contracts are being issued," the official said.

He said Guwahati is the first railway station in the Northeast and the first public utility in the region to be run completely on solar power.

The 700kW peak grid interactive solar power plant meets the energy requirements of the station, coaching depot and the railway colony.

"The power consumption at Guwahati station was around 350kW. After LED lights were installed, it came down to 205kW. So, even if the plant runs at 50 per cent capacity, the energy needs can be catered by solar power," the official said.

The solar plant runs at peak capacity from 12pm to 2pm. The plant was installed by Central Electronics Limited, Sahibabad, at a cost of Rs 6.7 crore.

The Container Corporation of India Ltd, a Navaratna public sector undertaking under the railway ministry, provided funds for the green project.

"The total electricity savings on account of the solar plant has been Rs 67 lakh till now," the official said.

"This is not a standalone unit. It is connected to the grid. Surplus generation is fed into the grid and in case of deficient generation (rainy, cloudy weather), power can be drawn from the grid," he said.

The official said a number of level crossings under NFR are also running on solar power.

He said many as 2,352 solar modules have been installed on the rooftop of the station and the carbon dioxide benefit from the solar plant stands at 6.3 lakh kg.