Railways to Buy 145 MW Solar Power from MP: Vaishnaw

Bhopal, Feb 3 (PTI) The Railways has decided to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Madhya Pradesh government to buy around 145 megawatt (MW) of solar power from the state, where 2,500km tracks had been laid in the last 10 years, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.
Vaishnaw said Kavach, an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed by the Railways to improve safety, will be deployed on 3,572 route km in Madhya Pradesh and 1,105 route km in adjoining Chhattisgarh.
"I thank the Madhya Pradesh government. MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is in touch with me and is extending full support to the Railways. He has given us a very good project," Vaishnaw told reporters during a virtual interaction post-Union budget.
A decision has been taken to sign an MoU to procure around 145 MW of solar energy from Madhya Pradesh, he added.
"Madhya Pradesh has a double engine government (BJP in power in the state and also at the Centre)," Vaishnaw noted and added the state has got an allocation of Rs 14,745 crore in the Union budget 2025-26 for infrastructure and different development activities related to the Railways.
"In Madhya Pradesh, 2,500km rail tracks have been laid in the last 10 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji. These were more than the railway network of Denmark, a rich and prosperous country," he maintained.
The Railways' total investment in the central state was Rs 1 lakh 8,000 crore, which includes funds for new lines, doubling (of tracks) and constructing station buildings, Vaishnaw said.
A wide range of Railway activities were underway in the state, the Union minister emphasised, adding 100 per cent (track) electrification has been achieved in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.