BHEL flags off energy-efficient electric locomotive to Railways

State-run BHEL Friday said India's first electric locomotive with a regenerative system developed by the PSU for Indian Railways has been flagged off from its Jhansi plant.

The regenerative technology helps avoid loss of heat energy when brakes are applied and feeds the energy back to the overhead power lines.

BHEL has developed a state-of-the-art regeneration system through in-house R&D efforts for Indian Railways' fleet of conventional electric locomotives, a company statement said.

The country's first such regenerative 5,000 HP WAG-7 electric locomotive was flagged off from the company's Jhansi plant, it added.

The idea of developing the energy-efficient regeneration system was mooted by Indian Railways and BHEL responded to it by successfully developing the technology in-house, giving an impetus to the Make in India initiative.

Presently, Indian Railways' electric locomotives have a dynamic braking system where the energy generated during application of brakes gets wasted in the form of heat.