Cabinet okays Rs 20,774 Cr inter-state transmission system for Ladakh mega solar project

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the Rs 20,773.7 crore project on Green Energy Corridor Phase-II – Inter-State Transmission System for the 13 GW Renewable Energy Project in Ladakh.

The project is targeted to be set up by FY 2029-30 in which the Central financial assistance at 40 percent of the project cost which works out to Rs 8,309.48 crore, according to an official statement issued after the CCEA meeting.

The project will create a state-of-the-art inter-state transmission infrastructure to link the Ladakh green energy project to the National Grid.

“Keeping in view the complex terrain, adverse climatic conditions and defence sensitivities of the Ladakh region, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited will be the implementing agency for this project. A state-of-the-art Voltage Source Converter based High Voltage Direct Current system and Extra High Voltage Alternating Current systems will be deployed for the project,” a statement said. 

The transmission line for evacuating this power will pass through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab up to Kaithal in Haryana, where it will be integrated with the National Grid.

An interconnection is also planned from this project in Leh to the existing Ladakh grid to ensure a reliable power supply to Ladakh.

It will also be connected to the Leh-Alusteng-Srinagar line to provide power to Jammu & Kashmir.

The project will entail setting up of 713 km transmission lines and 5 GW capacity of HVDC terminal each at Pang (Ladakh) and Kaithal in Haryana.

The project will contribute to achieving the target of 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels by the year 2030. The project will also help in developing the long-term energy security of the country and promote ecologically sustainable growth by reducing the carbon footprint.

It will generate large direct and indirect employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled personnel in power and other related sectors, especially in the Ladakh region, the statement said.

This project is in addition to Intra-State Transmission System Green Energy Corridor Phase-II (InSTS GEC-II), which is already under implementation in the States of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh for grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20GW of RE power and is expected to be completed by 2026.

The InSTS GEC-II scheme targets the addition of 10753 km of transmission lines and 27,546 MVA capacity of substations having an estimated project cost of Rs 12,031.33 crore and Central financial assistance at 33 percent which is Rs 3970.34 crore.