Ladakh is set to house the world’s largest single-location solar photo-voltaic plant.
Some 200km to the south in Kargil, another mega project will join forces to light up the plains, keep glaciers cool by saving 12,750 tonne of carbon emission a year, remove dependence on diesel gensets and create livelihood for the local population that remains cut off for 6-8 months, reported Times of India.
SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India)- under the Renewable Energy Ministry – is promoting the projects in J&K on a scale matching the grandeur of their locations – 5,000 MW (mega watt) for the Ladakh unit and 2,500 MW for Kargil – to be completed by 2023 at an estimated investment of Rs 45,000 crore.
A strategic location
The Ladakh project will be located at Hanle-Khaldo in Nyoma, a strategically important area 254km from Leh. The Kargil project will be built at Suru in Zanskar, 254km from the district HQ. Power from the Ladakh project will flow to Kaithal in Haryana, for which a 900 km line will be laid mostly along Leh-Manali road.
The Kargil project will hook up with the grid at New Wanpoh near Srinagar. The bids offer flexibility and many firsts, like combining the plant and associated transmission lines, putting promoters in control who otherwise have to depend on another entity for transmission and suffer if evacuation routes are delayed.
