Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has accomplished numerous developments to address the challenges of climate change under environment management. Among the many initiatives undertaken by the airport are carbon management system, carbon neutrality, renewable energy installations, wastewater recycling, effective waste management system and enhancement in renewable energy capacity.
CSMIA took several steps during the pandemic to optimize energy consumption, resulting in energy usage reduction to 35%. CSMIA also has saved substantial energy of around 38.5 million units (kWh) due to its consistent and sustainable approach towards energy efficiency measures, which has resulted in the reduction of 31,581 units (tCO2e) of GHG Emissions.
The latest feature in Mumbai international airport’s cap is the prestigious ‘Energy Efficient Unit’ Award by the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) at its 22nd National Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2021. The award lauds CSMIA for assessing the reduction in specific energy consumption, innovation in identifying and implementing energy-saving projects, green supply chain, waste management, GHG Emission and climate change initiatives.
Energy management at the airport
CSMIA is an ISO 50001:2018 (Energy Management System) certified company. The airport is committed to continuous reduction in energy consumption and carbon footprint through various initiatives. Moreover, CSMIA’s efforts for renewable energy management and improving the air quality of the airport has been recognized and published by ACI- ICAO Eco-Airport Toolkit in 2014 and 2021, respectively.
Energy intensity after COVID-19
The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in a decrease in the total number of passengers which subsequently resulted in an increase in value of energy intensity for FY 2019-20. The energy intensity for our operations is 8,687.17 GJ/million Pax during FY 2018-19 and 8,902.00 GJ/ million Pax during FY 2019-20. This is estimated based on the total energy consumption within the organisation.
Solar energy
Solar power has played a pivotal role in CSMIA’s efforts to shift towards the use of renewable energy. The airport has taken a conscious step to increase the use of solar energy while simultaneously optimizing the existing infrastructure at the airport; being a space constraint airport, CSMIA has installed solar panels on its rooftop that generates about 5% of the airport’s total energy consumption. Through these installations, the airport has generated immense solar energy of 53.50 lakhs Kwh in FY2019-20 compared to 16.22 lakhs Kwh in FY2016-17. CSMIA’s initiatives towards sustainability have led to a 44% increase in its generation of renewable energy; the airport also continues to explore further avenues to expand its reliance on green energy.
Goals for carbon emissions
The use of conventional fuels, electricity and refrigerants in operational activities result in the generation of GHG emissions. Aligning its efforts to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mumbai international airport has adopted a target to reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions per passenger by 33% to 35% against their baseline of 2014 which is in line with Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments of our country from direct fuel consumption and indirect energy purchase for operations.
CSMIA is the first and the only airport in India to publish the Sustainability Report as per the latest GRI Standards. Also, the first Indian airport to hold the platinum rating within the Existing Building (O&M) Rating System for its environmentally sustainable profile. Besides, the airport also owns an Organic Waste Converter (OWC) project, a biomechanical composting system having a capacity of 1.5MT/day. The OWC facility boasts a solar capacity of 5 kWp for providing green power for its operations. Additionally, compost generated from the system is used internally for gardens and horticulture purposes.
