Bhubaneswar Airport all set to get green and carbon-neutral status

The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) is all set to become a world-class green and carbon-neutral airport.

"The aim is to make the airport, the best or among the best," said Prasanna Pradhan, new director of BPIA.

A 3.8 mega watt solar power plant has already been installed in the airport. It is fully ready to be made operational to produce electricity. The airport authorities have sent a request to make the power plant operational as soon as possible.

With the electricity produced in the plant, the airport can get two mega watt electricity while the remaining 1.8 mega watt electricity will be sold to grids. On the other hand, all lights in the airport have been changed to LED lights. BPIA is among the four green airports in the country.

Prasanna Pradhan joined BPIA as the new director this July and he has set a target to make BPIA a world class airport.

“BPIA is a major airport in the country. Our main focus is passenger facilitations. I hope to make world class infrastructure in BPIA and take it to the benchmark level on par with the best airports in the world. Our mission and vision is to provide best-in-class facilities to the passengers,” Pradhan said.

“Moreover, our motto is of green airport concept and carbon neutral growth. We have already achieved it and are among the best airports in the country including Varanasi, Trivandrum and Kolkata Airports. We have managed to reduce carbon emission and increase the number of passengers,” he added.

"We have converted all the lights to LED lights. We have energy efficient terminal building. We also have installed solar power plant. We have recently applied for commissioning of 3.8 mega watt solar plant. Our power demand is only two mega watt. The remaining 1.8 mega watt is surplus. This will help BPIA become cost-effective and environment-friendly," he said.