Lokmat's Nagpur & Aurangabad printing plants will now use solar energy

The group has set up two solar power plants, a first by any media organisation, to run its two printing press at Butibori near Nagpur and Shendra at Aurangabad

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | March 25, 2015

The 324-KWp solar power plant, christened Lokmat Green Energy Park, set up by Lokmat Media at its Butibori printing unit near Nagpur was inaugurated on March 24, 2015. This is the first solar power plant set up by any media house in the country. The group has also set up another solar power plant at Shendra in Aurangabad. Starting with the Nagpur and Aurangabad centres, the printing of Lokmat, Lokmat Samachar and Lokmat Times will now be powered by solar energy.

The solar power plant was inaugurated by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao. Maharashtra Energy Minister and District Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule; Chairman of Editorial Board of Lokmat Media Vijay Darda; Ramtek MP Krupal Tumane; former MP and Managing Editor of The Hitavada, Banwarilal Purohit; Hingna MLA Sameer Meghe; and Managing Director of Lokmat Media, Devendra Darda, were also present on the occasion.

Like Nagpur, the solar power plant at Lokmat Media's Aurangabad printing unit too was inaugurated simultaneously on March 24.

Speaking at the launch, Vidyasagar Rao said, “India now needs a green energy revolution to make the country renewable and unconventional energy-reliant in order to create a pollution-free environment.” He added that the geothermal energy from the sources of both solar and tidal waves would be a great help to Maharashtra's coast for the purpose of tourism.

He pointed out that there were three million people in India, who did not have access to energy. “Nearly 60 per cent of India's energy needs are met through coal, while 6 per cent is through solar power. Hence, additional energy must be generated from solar power plants,” he stressed.

Lauding Lokmat Media's initiative, the Maharashtra Governor, said, “The Lokmat Green Energy Park will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and also save 1.44 mld of water by way of green panels.” He further said that the initiative to set up solar power plant by Lokmat Media was laudable as Vidarbha is a powerhouse of Maharashtra. He also hoped that Vidarbha would become a leader in area of solar power generation.

The Butibori plant's capacity is 324 KW and every day it can generate between 1,500 and 1,800 units of electricity from sunlight. Of this, Lokmat requires nearly 1,400 to 1,500 units, while the 300 to 400 units will be released into the electricity transmission network.

Similarly, the Aurangabad's plant at Shendra has a capacity of 258 KW and it can generate 1,200 to 1,400 units of electricity. Thus, both plants of Lokmat together will release nearly 500 to 600 units of clean-green electricity into the electricity transmission network every day.

Both the plants on an average generate 2,800 units of clean electricity, preventing the release of 1,680 kg of CO2 into the air every day.

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