It was the maiden visit of Shri Narendra Modi to the Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir after being sworn in as the Prime Minister of India. Evidently, the prime focus of his visit was to give impetus to the power scenario in the region.
Addressing to the masses in Leh, Prime Minister said the power sector holds the key to development and his government is committed to make Jammu & Kashmir, the energy state of the country. His government is giving priority to such projects which can bring change in the life of common people. He complemented NHPC for completing the hydroelectric project in such a tough terrain and said Nimoo Bazgo power station is not only lighting the region but also contributing in safeguarding the environment by generating clean power. He said that the govt. has plans to connect the remotest areas of the country with the national grid and Leh-Kargil-Srinagar transmission system which is to be completed at the cost of Rs. 1800 crores involving latest technologies, is one of such projects and it will bring remarkable changes in the lives of common people of the region.
He said that focus of the government is on all around development of the power sector by harnessing all forms of energy resources with particular emphasis on clean energy. The Prime Minister emphasized that, Ladakh region has tremendous potential for solar power generation and his Government will help to develop hydro and renewable resources in this region as well as for its evacuation to the National Grid.
Minister of State for Power (Independent Charge), Government of India, Shri Piyush Goyal welcomed the dignitaries and said that dedication of Nimoo Bazgo hydro power station reflects the commitment of the Prime Minister towards development of renewable energy sources. Leh-Kargil-Srinagar transmission system, once completed, will enable power evacuation from the region & full capacity utilization of Nimoo Bazgo Power Station. He also said that the government is making efforts to complete this transmission system within 3-4 years so that more capacity addition comes in the area which will bring overall development to the region.
On the occasion, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Omar Abdullah also addressed the gathering and hoped these projects will help in developing the region & the state as whole and safeguard environment by replacing diesel for generation of power in this region.
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, of about 56,000 sq. km. area comprising of leh and Kargil districts covers about 70% of the total area of the state and is one of the highest inhabitations in the world with an elevation of 2400m to 4500m above sea level. The difficult terrain has left Ladakh region isolated with no electrical connectivity with the rest of the National grid. Till the mid of 2012, the Ladakh region was completely dependent on traditional fuels for its power needs. The power demand of the area is met by some local small micro Hydel (14 MW) and diesel generators (12 MW).The situation however has completely changed now with the cumulative installed capacity addition of 89MW (Nimoo Bazgo Power Station-45MW and Chutak Power Station-44MW) in both districts of ladakh. These two projects of NHPC are probably one of the rarest hydel projects to be constructed at an altitude of about 10500 feet above sea level in the whole world.
Power Grid Corporation of India, the central transmission utility under Ministry of Power, Government of India, is implementing the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Transmission System for connectivity of Leh/ Kargil area in Ladakh (J&K) with National Grid at 220kV level for meeting demands of the Ladakh region. Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Transmission System includes 375 km Transmission line at 220kV voltage level from Alistong (Srinagar) to Leh via Kargil with four 220/66 kV latest technology Gas Insulated Sub-stations at Drass, Kargil, Leh and Khalsti. This transmission system shall be able to facilitate availability of power of about 100-150 MW in the Ladakh region.
This high profile visit also indicates the heightened focus of the present govt. on improving overall infrastructure needs of the border areas of India. Therefore, the improved power scenario and this transmission line project hold immense importance not only for the region but the country as well. The connectivity with the national grid would provide an uninterrupted power access to the people of Ladakh and the surplus power generated from the region could be used by different parts of country.
The senior Central & State Govt. officials alongwith Shri P.K. Sinha, Secretary Power Government of India, CMD POWERGRID Shri R.N. Nayak, Board members of NHPC & POWERGRID, Other senior officials of State government were also present on the occasion.
