Going green, Indian Navy adopts energy conservation measures

New Delhi: The Navy has adopted several green initiatives in all its wings including operations, administration, maintenance, infrastructure and community living as part of an energy conservation drive.

Navy Chief Admiral Robin Dhowan has asked officers to take `green` initiatives in all aspects of the maritime force. The Navy said these are being initiated in view of diminishing energy resources, price volatility and to minimise the impact of fossil fuels on the environment. The Navy has also issued exhaustive guidelines in form of an `Energy Conservation Roadmap` to implement the `Green Initiatives` and all the formations have been directed by naval headquarters to closely monitor the progress. "Navy has embarked on an ambitious path of whole heartedly embracing `Green Initiatives`. Admiral Dhowan has stressed on the need to implement measures which would cover all aspects operations, administration, maintenance, infrastructure and community living," a Navy release said. To begin with, the Navy has initiated a framework to measure the energy consumption level. "Based upon its findings, future energy reduction goals would be identified. The Navy chief has also directed that all future plans for augmentation and acquisition of assets and infrastructure projects would incorporate concepts of energy efficiency from the ab initio stages," it said. On the infrastructure and community living projects, the key result areas (KRAs) of the force include "green buildings, waste recycling and management, water conservation and harvesting, renewable energy and power, environmental remediation with an aim to achieve a zero carbon foot print". The Navy has taken an initiative in the Karwar Naval Base (Project Seabird) to "embrace resource (water, energy and material) conservation to ensure environment friendly and green facility". The Navy said it is confident that these steps would go a long way to add the much needed `Green Footprint` to its blue water capabilities. "Indian Navy is `committed and geared up to march towards pursuance of the energy and environment goals of our country to ensure a `greener an cleaner tomorrow for our future generations`," it said.