Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) operator of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR), has won Green Building Certification’s PEER Platinum certification.

Green Building Certification Inc (GBCI) is the one of the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing bodies and responsible for administering the LEED green building programme. BIAL sought PEER (Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal) certification as part of a drive to analyse and improve BLR’s power system performance. Almost all (98%) of the project’s distribution circuit is protected with distribution redundancy and auto restoration. It also has a 6.8MW onsite solar PV system that supports essential services during grid failure and long-term blackout and 100% of its energy mix comes from renewable energy.

To achieve permanent reductions in its energy demand and consumption, BIAL has implemented energy conservation programmes such as replacement of all CFL (compact fluorescent lamp)/ Halogen lights with LED fixtures, PLC (programmable logic controller) based Terminal Light Automation System (TLA) to monitor and minimise the energy consumption of terminal lights, and a chiller plant optimiser solution for monitoring and optimising chiller plant performance under various load conditions.

Procurement of renewable energy, energy conservation measures and a modernised system that prioritises sustainable, efficient power has helped the airport achieve energy savings of 14.7 million units (or kWh), cost savings of 84 million INR (US$1.2m) and has mitigated about 46 kilotons of CO2 emissions annually.

Hari Marar, MD and CEO, BIAL, said, “BIAL has undertaken a variety of steps to deploy onsite renewable energy generation systems and offsite renewable power procurement, to meet our long-term goal of becoming Net Energy Neutral in 2020-21. This PEER Platinum Rating will only motivate us to keep fast tracking our sustainability journey, even as we keep enhancing our infrastructure to meet the ever-increasing air transportation needs of passengers.”