NCRTC Signs Deal For 110 MW Solar Plant

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has signed a power purchase agreement for a 110 MW captive solar power plant to supply nearly 60 percent of the electricity needs of the Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor.

The agreement was signed with NIRL NCRTC Renewables Limited (NNRL), a joint venture between NCRTC and NLC India Limited, a central public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Coal.

The solar plant, to be developed in Jaulan, Uttar Pradesh, is estimated to cost around Rs. 450 crore and is expected to be commissioned within 24 months. It will be connected to the Uttar Pradesh state grid, from where power will be supplied to NCRTC's receiving substations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and distributed across the corridor.

Under the agreement, NCRTC will procure electricity from the plant at a fixed tariff for 25 years. This project is the first instance of a captive solar power plant being introduced in the country's Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and metro transit networks.

Electricity currently accounts for around 30-35 percent of the corridor's operational cost, and the corporation said the arrangement is meant to bring greater predictability to energy costs while cutting dependence on conventionally generated power.

NCRTC already generates more than 11 MW of solar power across the 82-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor through rooftop installations at stations, depots and receiving substations. The new 110 MW plant will be substantially larger in scale and is intended to significantly expand the share of renewable energy powering train operations.

The shift to solar power will also help curb air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, since it does not generate pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide associated with conventional power sources.

The announcement comes as the corridor has seen ridership climb steadily since the full Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut stretch was commissioned in February 2026, with the network now carrying around one lakh passengers daily and cumulative ridership crossing four crore journeys.

This move towards renewable energy is expected to have a significant impact on the environment and the operational costs of the corridor, making it a notable development in the country's transportation sector.