APM Terminals has formally inaugurated a solar-power initiative a Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai.

Solar panels installed on the roofs of two terminal buildings have been converting energy from the sun into stored electricity from January 1, 2016, with a capability of generating 361,000 kilowatt hours per year.

“APM Terminals and the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network are always looking for opportunities to improve services and enhance environmentally sustainable business operations,” said Ravi Gaitonde, COO of APM Terminals Mumbai. “The Mumbai Solar Panel Project reaffirms our commitment to green power and caring for the Indian environment.”

This is just the first phase of the project. The next phase, which is scheduled to be completed in June 2016, will involve the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the machine houses of ship-to-shore cranes, and will generate an extra 220,000 kWh per year.

In the third phase, which is still under planning, panels will be installed over an even wider area and will provide an additional 5 million kWh of electricity, approximately 15% of the facility’s total annual power requirement.

The terminal handled approximately 2 million TEUs in 2015, more than 40% of the volume handled by the entire Mumbai port complex, according to APM Terminals.