Recently, according to the MNRE, the President gave her assent to the Green Energy Corridor Phase-II. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affair has also approved this corridor for a 13GW energy project in Ladakh.
What’s Are It’s Objectives-
The main goal of the project is to build a massive 13 GW renewable energy project in Ladakh, an area renowned for its difficult terrain, severe weather, and defense-sensitive areas. According to the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), the project will likely cost ₹20,773.70 crore in total. The Central Financial Assistance (CFA) will fund ₹8,309.48 crore, or 40%, of the project’s total cost.
How It Is Envisioned-
The transmission lines will pass through Punjab and Himachal Pradesh before arriving in Kaithal, Haryana. Here they will merge seamlessly with the National Grid. The transmission line spanning 713 km will comprise 480 km of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines and 5 GW of HVDC terminals located in Pang and Kaithal, respectively. It is anticipated that the “Green Energy Corridor” project will be finished by 2030.
Additionally, the planners intend to connect this project to the current Ladakh grid, guaranteeing a consistent supply of electricity for the area.
Moreover, the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited will implement this project.
Currently, the front-end engineering and design studies are being done which is scheduled to be completed by March. Subsequently, all equipment’s specific parameters will be determined. Probably by March 2025, PGCIL will place orders.
Enhancing Power Supply-
According to PGCIL CMD Ravindra Kumar Tyagi, “The Leh-Ladakh GEC is a very strategic project because it has numerous challenges. It is for the first time that such a project is being executed at a height of 4,500-5,000 meters.”
The project is important in ways that go beyond its amazing technical details. By significantly lowering the carbon footprint, it substantially contributes towards sustainable growth and improves the country’s long-term energy security. It is also in line with the larger goal of socio-economic development since it creates a lot of job opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers, particularly in the Ladakh region. Moreover, it will be connected to the Leh-Alusteng-Srinagar line so Jammu & Kashmir will also receive electricity.
This project shall also helps achieve the target of producing 500GW of electricity from non-fossil fuels by 2030.